


Doubts

by Glyphhunter



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Angst, Asch gets shit done, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Suicide Attempt, gore?, it's very brief, not a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-24
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-01-09 20:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1150394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glyphhunter/pseuds/Glyphhunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>You're ours now. There's no going back. You'll stay with us forever. Become what you're meant to be. This is the meaning of your birth.</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Editing/reworking the first few chapters!<br/>Chapter 1 complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Island (Dusk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'll take you in..._

Luke sighed quietly to himself, feeling his shoulders sag with fatigue as he followed the rest of the party through the gates of Chesedonia. The chill of the Qliphoth had overtaken the heat of the desert, leaving him to shiver whenever a small burst of wind filtered through the border town. It was with mixed feelings that he agreed with the decision the group had made during the trek back from the Zao Ruins.

‘Everybody’s tired, let’s just stay in town when we get back.’

He couldn’t recall who exactly had voiced the round-about request but it had received a chorus of appreciative moans and spawned tangents about fresh water and _beds, oh what I would give to have my bed right now with its silk sheets and –_ He’d been quick to tune out Natalia’s rambling in favour of watching the sand beneath his feet.

Besides, he couldn’t say he disagreed after such a unanimous vote, especially since he’d had just about enough of sleeping outdoors himself. His only concern was his nightmares. The night before had been moderately tame with exhaustion keeping most of it at bay but, usually, they kept him awake more often than not with their shadows and screams and reaching hands trying to touch him, grab him, pull him away.

He swallowed and stared hard at the wall of the Inn they stood in front of. The tremor that ran down his spine had nothing to do with the cool air around them and he longed to cross his arms over his chest, to clutch tight at the sides of his overcoat in a weak attempt to hug himself. His hands fisted at his sides and he stuffed them in his pockets instead.

Never mind the fact that the Qliphoth was the focal point in each and every one of his dreams.

Noelle’s arrival held his attention long enough for him to acknowledge that she was actually there before he turned away. His gaze fell upon the shops that spread out on the wide plot of land before the Inn, empty of their wares and chillingly eerie in the gloom. Sun guarding fabrics waved in the breeze, useless in their new location where no sun could reach. Luke watched as one was pulled loose and carried towards the docks, folding over itself in such a way only light fabrics could. 

His heart skipped a beat when Tear’s hand grasped his shoulder and he met her concerned face with wide eyes. Behind her, the others were filing into the building and Luke realized as he caught sight of Noelle fading into the distance that he’d missed the entire conversation.

“Sorry,” he muttered, gluing his eyes to the ground as he stepped around her to avoid seeing the frown he knew was there. She followed behind him as he stepped through the propped open door after Anise then found the nearest bare patch of wall he could lean against.

The merchants had relocated, claiming portions of the room as their own using crates and lengths of cloth to separate them and Luke quietly marveled at their dedication to their business. He watched a harried woman stomp her foot across the room with her fists shaking at her sides before turning on her heel and heading towards the exit. She passed through their group with a fierce scowl on her face and Luke pulled his lip between his teeth as he looked back at the merchant. The man was shaking his head, methodically re-wrapping whatever it was that the woman rejected before returning it to its proper place.

“I wonder what it was she wanted,” Anise said quietly, still watching the open doorway and Jade sighed next to her.

“Gels, I suspect,” he answered and adjusted his glasses, “I wouldn’t be surprised if most of his wares were lost during the decent.”

“Damn,” Guy breathed and ran a hand through his hair, “shortages are the last thing these people need.”

“There’s nothing we can do for it,” Jade said, banning the option before it became more than a brief thought, “we can’t be giving away our own supplies, especially since we’re low already.”

“I suppose,” Tear accepted though somewhat reluctantly as she laced her fingers together and pulled nervously at the tips of her gloves. Mieu whined piteously from his perch on Guy’s shoulder, his ears drooping with the emotion.

“Alright,” Natalia announced, appearing at Jade’s side as she held up two sets of keys and Luke looked between her and the front desk where the clerk was helping an old man in mild confusion, “we’ve got the two rooms at the end. Boys, this one’s yours.” She held out one by the tag and Jade calmly took it before heading to the stairs.

At the top, he turned back, looking over everyone’s haggard appearances. “Guy, Luke, we’re in Room 10. Feel free to take a shower before coming to bed.” The two hesitated on the steps and glanced briefly at each other as Anise sniggered behind them.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait,” Natalia sniffed and pushed her way through, leaving Guy to cling to the rail, “ladies first, after all.”

“Of course,” Jade smiled and stepped aside, allowing her to enter the door behind him. Tear and Anise followed after her, Anise giving them a cheerful wave before she shut the door and locked it. Still on the stairs, Guy and Luke watched as Jade turned his smile on them before heading towards their assigned room.

“Umm,” Luke blinked at Jade’s retreating back and straightened as Guy laughed weakly next to him.

“How about we get something to eat while we wait,” he suggested and Luke nodded with a small sigh. He needed to write in his journal anyway.

\--

_Dark... cold... alone..._

_Apprehension built in his chest... Hello?_

_"Heh, to think I wanted to marry him..." Anise?_

_Chills raced down his spine. Was that you?_

_"You said you would change..." Tear?_

_Surprise. Hurt. Guilt. But I am! I'm trying!_

_"I thought I taught you better than this..." Guy!_

_Longing. Taught me better...?_

_"I can't believe you're my cousin!" Natalia._

_His chest tightened. What did I do?_

_"It appears I can be wrong sometimes..." Jade._

_Breathing was getting hard. Tell me what I did wrong._

_"Can't you do anything right?" Asch..._

_Faces. Anger, sorrow, regret, indifference._

_Abandoned_

_...Why did it hurt so much?_

_"Help! Help me, please! Daddy! It hurts!"_

_Cold, so cold. No..._

_"You killed us. The one who was to save us..." A woman, bloody and angry._

_Fear. No! I didn't-_

_"Don't try to make excuses." A man, dismembered and half-blind._

_Tears burned at his eyes. I tried! Really, I did!_

_"Did you?" The woman again, behind!_

_He sobbed. I'm sorry! I'm sorry I failed..._

_"Are you?" Behind the woman. A child, bloody chested and half his face gone, torn hat clutched in his hand._

_He fell to his knees. Yes! I'd do anything to make it up to you!_

_"Will you?" They held out their hands._

_He reached back._

_"Finally."_

\--

The wind had gotten stronger. He stood barefoot outside the Inn, the dirt cold under his feet and stared in the direction of the Kimlascan docks. Their voices murmured at the edges of his thoughts, taunting, urging, calling. He breathed with the wind and stepped forward, letting invisible hands take his and guide him.

'Come,' the woman beckoned. Her image flickered briefly at his side before she was taken by the wind. He walked, unfeeling of the cold that surrounded him.

'We'll take you where you need to be,' the child waved from the top of the steps across the market place. The wind took him too. He followed, not daring to stray.

'We'll show you what you're to do,' the man glared before he too was taken. He obeyed, knowing it was what he was meant to do.

Repent for his sins against those he had killed.

'You're ours now. There's no going back. You'll stay with us forever. Become what you're meant to be. This is the meaning of your birth.'

He nodded.

'Become what you're meant to be.'

One foot in front of the other.

'This is your reason.'

No hesitation.

'Forever.'

\--

"Guy," the commanding tone had him up and out of bed before he even realized he was awake. He blinked at Jade in confusion, hand mid-reach for his sword. The man was tense at the end of the bed he and Luke shared though Guy couldn't find a rea-

He finished grabbing his sword as he realized that Luke was not actually in bed behind him.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest as he looked around the room and found most of Luke's things still there. "Where is he?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Jade frowned, "I have Mieu looking around the building."

Guy cursed through gritted teeth and shoved his boots on before running out of the room. Jade hurried after him, pounding on the ladies' door just as the blond was vaulting over the rail to the lower level. His arm raised to knock again before it swung open and he was greeted with an irritated, sleep mused Tear.

"Wha-"

"Luke's missing," he interrupted before she could tear into him, "I fear he may do something drastic if we don't find him."

Her eyes widened, "You mean...?"

His lips thinned grimly as he gave the barest of nods and Tear swallowed thickly before releasing a shaking breath.

“Go,” she told him, “we’ll be right after.” Jade wasted no time in heading her words and rushed off, following Guy’s example and leaping over the rail much to the clerk’s consternation.

“Use the stairs!” was shouted to his back which he ignored in favour of collecting Mieu from the post at the base of the steps.

“He went outside,” was the quick report as he leapt onto his shoulder, “towards the boats.” Jade released a short breath, fuel for a curse that didn’t get passed the formative stage and ran a hand over the creature’s small head.

“Wait for Tear,” he said as he went for the door, “tell her where to go then go get Noelle. We’ll be leaving as soon as we retrieve Luke.”

“Okay!” Mieu chirped and ran down Jade’s arm to return to his position by the stairs. Jade spared a single glance over his shoulder before taking off, outright running for the Kimlascan docks.

He didn't want to call it fear but that was almost what it seemed like as it gripped his chest, tight and unyielding at the thought that they might be too late. That Luke was already long gone with only faint tracks in the dirt to show for it, or that they’d make it only to watch as he took that final step. The prospect spurred him on, wanting to eliminate any undesired outcome and he maintained the hope that they’d noticed in time.

There seemed to be a lot of firsts for him where the group was concerned.

“Luke!” He heard the echoing shout before he rounded the corner and a chill ran down his spine. Then he saw them, grappling for leverage against each other until Guy all but threw Luke back to safety. The redhead tumbled backwards, rolling against the dusty cobblestone before righting himself far too soon for Jade to accept.

“Guy!” He warned, knowing he was too far away to catch Luke’s next attempt. Something about the way he moved unnerved him.

And Guy was ready when Luke ran again, catching him by the shoulders and shoving him backwards. Once again, Luke rolled – without a sound, Jade realized – and righted himself before taking a few steps back. Jade didn't hesitate.

He came up behind him, hooking his arms under Luke's just as he tensed to lunge again. His feet kicked out instead and the cry that left his lips was one that Jade never wanted to hear again. Anger and pain, almost primal, and he didn't need to see Guy to know the blond shared the grimace that had him gritting his teeth.

Luke flailed in his arms, fighting to free himself with every twist and jerk and Jade was thankful that he didn't seem to be in the frame of mind to reach back and punch him. “Luke, calm yourself!” he shouted then grunted when Luke's heel dug into his shin.

He continued to shout; wordless cries that could be the beginnings of words as he struggled. In front of them, Guy tried to find a way to keep him still as he blocked kicks with his hands and knees. One blow got through and landed on his side as Luke twisted enough to slip an arm free.

Jade hissed a curse and jerked his head back avoid the fist that swung towards him. It was a narrow escape that knocked his glasses askew instead and caused him to lose his hold on Luke entirely. Then Luke was gone as he bolted to the side and Guy was still reeling and the girls were only just coming down the pier. He didn’t think, he couldn’t. He could only react.

His name and Luke’s echoed off the limestone as his spear appeared with a flash though he couldn’t afford the hesitation their cries called for. His arm was already moving, committed just as Luke was and when the blade struck the ground he tried to ignore the resulting wail of pain. Another deft motion and that was silenced as well.

Jade panted in the sudden quiet, his fist shaking with adrenaline in the air before he braced it against the ground and pushed himself to his feet. Natalia sobbed and a hand covered her mouth as she sank to her knees at the base of the steps.

“Jade,” Tear’s voice was thick though surprisingly steady as she approached and he stepped back, pausing long enough to pull his spear free. Blood welled in Luke’s hand where the blade had been and immediately Tear dropped to his side with First Aid on her lips. Anise staggered forward from where she stood with Natalia, her eyes wide as she tried to take everything in.

“What just happened?” she asked, looking from Guy, who finally managed to regain his breath, to Jade as he watched Tear, to Tear herself as she healed the damage. Try as she might, she couldn’t actually _look_ at Luke.

“Something far worse than I imagined,” Jade replied with a shake of his head then pulled out a cloth to wipe the thin layer of blood from his spear before he let it disappear. “Anise, Natalia, head back to the Inn and gather our things, the rest of us will head to the Albiore.”  Anise straightened where she stood with a sharp breath before she staggered back and tugged at Natalia’s arm to get her to stand.

“Come on,” she urged, putting her entire focus on the princess and once she was up, both of them hurried away. Natalia looked back once before they rounded the corner, distress clear in the set of her brow but Anise steadfastly kept her attention forward.

“What the hell do you mean?” Guy growled once they were gone with his hands braced on his knees and his gaze practically burned from under the shadow of his hair. Jade met it steadily, completely serious.

“Luke’s depression routinely worsens whenever we descend into the Qliphoth and there’s little guess as to why,” he said as Guy straightened, “Tear and I have been keeping a well enough eye on him but frankly, something like this was bound to happen anyway. I’d have been very surprised if it hadn’t. My concern with this is that it doesn’t appear to be a mere suicide attempt. Something was driving him, is driving him, and we need to find out what.”

“Jade,” both men looked down at Tear, neither having missed the fine tremor in her voice, and she stared back with Luke’s hand in hers and a firm grip around his wrist. The piercing was gone, a faint line in the back of his hand that would likely fade with time, but it was the awkward way she held it that told Jade it was something else.

“Show me,” he ordered as he kneeled once again. Tear’s lips thinned before she slowly pulled her hand away, as if she was afraid to cause even more damage, then carefully turned Luke’s wrist so his palm was facing upwards. Raw, irritated skin greeted them in a pattern that covered a majority of the surface and when Tear moved her hand back over, Jade hissed a curse between his teeth.

“That’s a handprint,” Guy gasped above them and Tear nodded though she made no attempt to heal it.

“I take it healing artes aren’t working,” Jade guessed. Tear made a pained noise in the back of her throat as she shook her head.

“My artes brought it out,” she said, “and if I’d tried anymore, the sores would’ve opened. Jade, what’s going on?” She looked at him with wide eyes just as he stood and barely caught the uncertainty that flashed across his face.

“I don’t know,” he admitted much to their shock and his hands fisted at his sides in a show of his frustration, “but I intend to find out. Let’s go.” He turned on his heel and Guy took a deep frustrated breath at his back before he kneeled to help raise Luke off the ground.

The trek through the town was silent aside from the sounds of their feet as they scuffed against the dirt. Jade led the way with Tear at his side while Guy trailed behind with Luke on his back. Tear would look back every so often; the embodiment of worry and Guy would meet her gaze with a soft nod. Though weak, Luke’s breath continued to ghost across his neck.

Natalia and Anise caught up just as they were climbing the rise to the Albiore. Anise said nothing though her throat worked like she wanted to until she gave up and passed them by. She glanced at Luke on her way and Guy caught the grimace and the guilt before she hid it and hurried up the steps to the ship. Noelle looked worriedly at her back from where she stood at the base with her arms crossed against the chill.

“She’s crying,” she noticed as she turned back then she got a good look at the rest of them and her lips thinned to fight a deeper frown. “You all are,” she amended. Tears hand flew to her face but her fingers came back dry and Noelle shook her head.

“There doesn’t need to be tears for you to cry,” she said and didn’t say anything about the actual tears that flowed down Natalia’s face. Noelle sighed quietly through her nose then gestured to the ship with her head, “The cot behind the bridge is ready. You can lay him down there.” Guy nodded and climbed the steps with Tear close on his heels.

Mieu was waiting on top of tousled sheets in the alcove tucked at the end of the small corridor and it was obvious that Noelle had previously been sleeping there. The cheagle perked up slightly but said nothing and moved aside to let Guy manoeuvre Luke onto the mattress.

“Thank you, Mieu,” Tear murmured as Guy moved away after taking a moment to cover Luke. A small jerk of his head told her he was heading through to the bridge. She nodded as Mieu made himself a spot by Luke’s head.

“He’ll be okay, right?” his voice drifted up and Tear smiled softly as she crouched next to the bed and started to rub small circles on the top of the cheagle’s head.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure of it,” she told him. Mieu whined but accepted it as he rested his small chin on his paws and Tear gave him a final rub down his back before she settled more firmly against the wall. There was a small clamour back at the end of the hall before Natalia appeared with Jade and Noelle a few steps behind. A hiss followed by the tumble of locks signalled the door closing.

Natalia stopped at the end of the cot but Jade and Noelle brushed by without saying a word and grim frowns on their faces. When Tear looked at Natalia in question, Natalia sighed wearily.

“He’s concerned about what he saw at the passage ring,” she said, her voice rough though her tears had been wiped away.

Tear frowned, “Did we do something wrong?”

“No,” Natalia shook her head, “he was watching the other passage rings. He didn’t tell me what he saw but I think the other Sephiroth might be in trouble.”

“Trouble how?”

Natalia shook her head again and Tear dropped her gaze to Luke. “Fine,” she accepted after a moment and blew a calming breath through her lips, “We’ll figure something out.” A promise for the future, if nothing else.

“Right,” Natalia agreed though she sounded less sure then braced herself against the wall as the airship lifted off. After all, they had just messed up terribly and there was no way to know if it was possible to fix. She opened her mouth, took a breath to speak, then stopped. What could she even say? She didn’t notice? That she was too blinded by her own worries to see passed the surface?

How awful.

Tear was watching her with a small wrinkle in her brow and Natalia swallowed as her eyes darted to the floor. “I’m sorry,” she said with a voice that sounded rough to her own ears and not entirely sure who she was apologizing to. To Luke, in part, for certain even though he wasn’t awake to hear it but a little bit towards Tear as well for her own inaction in the events that had transpired.

But maybe there was still something she could do, she resolved even as Tear murmured in confusion at the apology.

Tear’s eyes widened as the familiar glow of First Aid lit the area and she remembered that Natalia had been sent away earlier. That she didn’t know what happened when _she_ tried to use it. “No!” she gasped as she uselessly tried to grasp Natalia’s hands to disrupt the cast and watch Luke for any change at the same time. But her foot slipped out from under her before she could stand, unbalanced as she was, and she ended up sprawled on the floor as the fonons washed over Luke on the cot.

“Tear!” Natalia exclaimed and took a step back as the other woman scrambled up, surprised, confused and a little bit hurt.

“I’m sorry, I should have told you,” Tear rushed as she practically threw the covers aside and Mieu ran to Natalia with a startled yelp, “but something’s going on. None of us know what though, not even Jade but this is something more than just Luke with depression and I, I,” blood spotted the sheets around Luke’s hand, the same one she had tried to heal before and she turned his wrist to see what had changed. As she had predicted, the sores had opened though not as much as if the arte had been focused on the area which brought another thought to mind.

What if there was more than one hand print?

“I need you to bring me a medical kit,” she continued, forcing the words through the harsh tremor in her voice, “ointment, bandages, the works. There should be one somewhere on this ship.”

“R-right,” Natalia nodded and rushed up the stairs, taking Mieu with her.

Tear released a sharp breath though her nose in an attempt to diffuse the tenseness in her shoulders then pulled her knife from the sheath on her thigh. She’d have to check everything to make sure. She had to know the extent of the damage. She had to know exactly how far Luke had gone.

On the bridge, Natalia had stopped to stare with the rest of them at the phenomena outside the window. She took a deep breath as she watched the sky flicker ominously and the branches of the Sephiroth as they faded and reformed with limited success. “What’s happening?” she asked as she gripped the rail then climbed the last couple steps to stand near Guy.

“The passage rings have reached maximum tolerance,” Jade said without looking over his shoulder. He stood at the front next to Noelle as he leaned on both the back of her chair and the console.

“This is what you saw,” Natalia prompted, “at the ruins.” At that, Jade did look back and he gave her the barest of nods.

“There’s not much time before the rings break and the trees vanish,” he told them and straightened with a weary sigh. “How’s Luke?”

“Oh,” Natalia gasped and nearly dropped Mieu though the cheagle was quick enough to cling to her sleeve and climb to her shoulder. “That’s right. Noelle, I need a medical kit if you have one.” The pilot didn’t hesitate before she ducked down and pulled a box out from under her chair.

“Your artes don’t work?” Noelle questioned as she held it out for Natalia to come and take and Guy shook his head as Natalia cringed. She took the metal box in both hands and her nails dug into the smooth paint on the sides.

“I didn’t know so I tried,” she admitted then turned heel back towards the stairs. “Tear told me to get this for her so I’d better bring it down,” she continued before anyone could ask any more questions. Then she was out of sight and Jade and Guy shared a concerned frown.

“Check on them,” Jade requested quietly and Guy nodded with an equally quiet ‘sure’. Then he was down the stairs and Jade turned his attention to Anise. The girl had her head bowed with her fingers clutched together in her lap and every so often a foot would kick weakly at the seat in front of her. Jade put his hands in his pockets.

“What do you suggest?” he asked and waited patiently for a response. Noelle, after a brief glance between Jade and Anise, settled back in her chair at Jade’s soft nod and set a sedate pace west. The silence stretched, Anise seemingly oblivious and Noelle looked surreptitiously over her shoulder when it appeared she wasn’t going to answer.

Then her head turned though she still didn’t look at Jade and said, “What do you mean?”

Jade shrugged, an easy motion that only encompassed his shoulders and replied, “What do you want it to mean?”

Anise looked at him then, her nose scrunched fiercely and her lips a thin line of frustration. “Don’t play with me,” she snapped then took a sharp breath as she glared out the window. Her hands had separated, her fingers digging into the cushion at her sides and her feet were tight together and pressed against the floor.

“Apologies,” Jade said after a moment, “that wasn’t my intention.”

Anise’s grip tightened on her seat. “It’s not like you to apologize,” she told him and if Jade heard the tremor in her voice, he didn’t comment. He nodded once but didn’t saying anything more and after another long pause, Anise sighed. Her head bowed and she leaned forward until the crown of her head pressed against the back of the chair before her.

“There’s a fonstone,” she said, “in Daath. It holds all of the classified stuff that only Ion has access to. He should be able to tell us if there’s something like,” she waved a hand towards the window, “this, in it. And if nothing else, he might find something the libraries to- to help Luke.”

Jade placed a hand on the back of Noelle’s chair even as she was already in the motions to alter course and increase speed. “Thank you,” he said and Anise snorted and wrapped her arms around her middle.

“I guess even you can be shaken,” she murmured. Noelle blinked and looked at Jade’s hand where he gripped her seat, having heard the leather creak. Then he let go, leaving faint indentations of his fingers as he pulled away to sit directly behind her. Noelle regarded the mark quietly as it faded from view then returned her gaze to the world beyond her ship once it was gone.

Shaken indeed.

 


	2. Witchcraft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I'm looking for your hand in the rough..._

_"You lied," What? No! I tried! Truly, I did! The woman glared._

_"Worthless. Can't even kill himself right," the man was beside her. Really! I tried to follow, but they stopped me!_

_"So many excuses. Can you even tell the truth?" New people now... a teenager. Female. Missing an arm and stomach open. I'm not making excuses! Please understand. Tears... they hurt._

_"If you truly wanted to follow us, you would have run from the start," a male teen. Missing fingers and bone for an arm. I didn't think they would wake up!_

_"There's your answer, you don't think," an elder. Her head caved in, a leg missing and the skin on her arms gone. I promise, I'll do better next time. More tears. They're burning._

_"Next time? There won't be a next time," the child again. Innocent expression slowly morphing into a grin of mania. What? What do you mean...? They're approaching. Rain._

_"Come now, don't you understand?" The girl. Behind. Small smile but manic shine in the eyes. No, I don't. What do you mean? Pain inducing rain. Like knives._

_"There is no other time." The boy. Smirking. All of them, smirking. What? He grabs. Blinding pain._

_"Come with me, dear, and I'll make it stop," the elder. Betraying smile. What are you going to do? Fear._

_"Don't you listen!" The man and a strike. Dripping. I... okay... Relinquish._

_"Don't forget!" The child. Happy. I... I won't. I'll never forget. Pushing. Leading._

_"I hope not." The woman. Dissatisfied. I promise._

_"You promised!" Happiness. False pride. Muted anger. Silent annoyance. Soothing... so soothing._

_\---_

Asch grumbled as he stalked through the lower levels of the Oracle HQ. Not only was Van demanding irrelevant things, Mohs was being annoying wondering what was taking the Fon Master's Guardian so long to update him. Having had enough of his complaints, Asch decided to get a breath of fresh air in the courtyard.

He stormed past the knight that acted as the guard to the lower sector and paced his way to the elevator, slowing down as he came to the more finely decorated halls. An oracle member watched him as he passed by and he gave a polite nod in greeting. The member nodded back and Asch continued on his way.

As he came upon the warp room, an ear-shattering shriek came from above, causing him to grasp the sides of his head and look up wondering what the hell just happened. He glared at the various bridges criss-crossing above him as the screams continued, scowling when he saw a familiar white light streak down and land in the centre of the room.

Anise's figure materialized and immediately stepped on the pad that led to her room, leaving Asch no time to question her as she glowed and disappeared.

Wanting answers, Asch went to the centre glyph, transporting himself to the highest level. Ion stood there, clearly waiting for Anise and surprise at his appearance evident.

"What is going on?" he growled, watching the younger male as he looked back to his room at a particularly loud shout.

"It's best if you go and look for yourself," he replied, looking back at him and stepping aside. Asch growled in displeasure as he took the invitation and moved forward, throwing open the door and running up the stairs with ease. The yells were starting to become very familiar.

Natalia was standing there as he all but kicked the door open, shock before desperation playing across her face.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded the information as she ran up to him, grasping his tabard with her gloved hands.

"It's Luke!" she exclaimed, tears spilling out of her eyes, "he's hurt and he won't stop!"

"Stop what!" he winced, a chill running down his spine at the pain-filled scream that emitted from the next room.

"Natalia!" a command filled voice called out and the princess took no time turning around and running to the bedroom. Asch followed, knowing the answer resided there. Yet as he entered, Luke silenced himself and everything stopped moving. Emerald eyes stared up from the bed, wide and unseeing as bloody tears slowly followed the ready made path.

Tear inhaled, having realized she had stopped breathing and took a hesitant step forward. Jade's hand came up to stop her, slowly turning to face the newcomer. "Now this surely cannot be a coincidence," he spoke, crimson eyes flashing. Asch glared, going to move forward before his head erupted in pain. A short burst of sound clawed its way out before he clenched his teeth and clutched his head. This was the drecks fault, he knew it. Strange things always happened around him.

He vaguely noticed Natalia beside him as he attempted to stand again, barely hearing the yell of his replica behind the ring in his head. He was going to get the damned idiot to shut up even if it killed him. He narrowed his eyes as the room tilted and blurred, cursing as he fell and his vision blacked out.

\---

_"Well now, who's this?" the elder. ..._

_"Are you here for us too?" the child. ...What?_

_"Silence!" The man. Yes sir..._

_"Seriously though, who's this hottie?" the girl. ..._

_"He looks just like this one." The boy. !_

_"Well what d'you know, he does! Maybe he's a twin..." the woman. Hope. Fear. Shaking._

_"...What...?"_

_"Huh, sounds like him too." the girl. ...No..._

_"I said silence!" Pain. Burning._

_"Dreck!" Freeze. Smouldering emerald eyes. Flaming ruby hair._

_"Are you here for us too, mister?" Building terror._

_"Here for... What are you talking about!"_

_"Dang, he gets angry fast. Not like this one at all." The girl._

_"No kidding." the boy. Trembling._

_"Hey! What are you trying to do?" the woman. He's coming closer. Grabbing. Pulling. Pain._

_"This one's ours." the man. Digging. Piercing._

_"Yeah! He promised us!" the child. Happy innocence._

_"Promised you?" Confusion._

_"Yup!"_

_"He's coming with us." the woman._

_"And just_ where _are all of you going?"_

_"Akzeriuth." Grinning. Maniacal. Terrorizing. RUN!_

_\---_

Analytic, crimson eyes scowered the room, as they did periodically throughout the night once everyone went to sleep before returning to the book in his hand. A cup of coffee rested in the other, cooler than it was when it was first made but still warm.

The day's events had truly been out of the ordinary, even for their own little band of do-gooders. First Luke attempts suicide. When taken to Daath, mysterious markings had appeared on the boy with some thrashing applied by him followed by the appearance of his original. Now Asch was to be minorly expected, since they were above the Oracle Headquarters, yet to have him collapse in the middle of the floor was not. Anise had returned afterward with some rope to restrain said thrashing boy only to have it rendered useless when he stopped.

Jade came out of his thoughts when he heard a disturbance in the next room. Cursing started up and a lamp was turned on, illuminating the space under the door. Placing his coffee down and standing up, he stepped around Guy and Tear who slept on the floor, and opened the door to the next room. A cot had been placed inside for Asch after he had collapsed that morning. It was now empty as the God-General stood next to it, looking rather stressed as he stared at Luke.

"Would now be a good time to ask what happened?" Jade questioned, hands resting comfortably in his pockets. Asch glared at him before snatching his blade that leaded against the head of the cot and equipping it.

"The dreck has decided to strike a deal with the spirits of Akzeriuth. They're taking him with them," Jade's eyebrows raised at the information, clearly not expecting it.

"And what shall we do about it?" he asked.  _Spirits?_

"Keep him here in Daath. I need to go down to the site where Akzeriuth landed in the Qliphoth, there might be something there," Jade frowned. Asch and Luke were still the same in some ways.

"Take someone with you," he ordered, pushing up his glasses, "Tear and Guy might be able to help." Asch scoffed but made no protests, bringing his gaze back to the unconscious replica. The state he had been in there, Asch didn't even want to think about it. Yet the image stayed, as if made into the wallpaper of his mind; lifeless, broken, torn. He had been as naked as a newborn, handprints up his arms, bruises colouring his torso and blood everywhere. His spirit had been broken.

"Send the melodist for me when they awaken. I'll be in the courtyard," Asch said shortly, brushing past Jade as he exited the room. He needed to think.

Jade only moved slightly to the side as he left, running a cursory glance over Luke's form. The boy was still crying blood.

\---

In the courtyard, Asch went and climbed to the highest possible branch he could reach without danger of falling. He was currently facing the east, contemplating the meanings of the spirits within Luke's mind. They were real, that much he could gather. But he doubted that the actual people of the mining city would hold that much of a grudge, at least not that many. There had to be something more to it. Something he couldn't see. Something that only a scientist would be able to figure out. He groaned and leaned his head back, smacking it off the trunk of the tree. Another visit to Spinoza seemed to be in order.

But in the mean time, he had to see if Luke was truly stuck in his own mind. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, searching for the frequency that matched his own. He found it not too long after as his frown deepened, its strength fluctuating dangerously low. Latching on to it, he pulled it closer, slowly letting it meld with his own unlike other times where he forced them together. He felt the connection open and he willed himself into Luke's mind, feeling the air around him become cold.

He opened his eyes, not seeing the moonlit courtyard but the violet haze that seemed to be Luke's mind at the moment. Stepping forward, Asch searched around him for any sign of his replica and strained his ears for a sound. "Replica!" he called out, knowing that usually wielded an answer, but none came. There was no movement as far as he could see and not a sound could be heard. He cursed and started walking. His plans were going to be ruined if this kept up.

A few moments later, a familiar shriek sounded around him, echoing in his head and in the endless abyss around him. Covering his ears did nothing to quiet it. Realizing he was going in the wrong direction, he turned and started running.

The distance between them seemed endless, never ending, and he was starting to wonder if he was even going the right way. But a burst of power halted him, creating a wind that nearly pushed him to his knees, and Luke's form appeared before him. Green eyes widened at the sight, viewing the lithe form huddled together and the crimson streams slowly gathering beneath him. The scream was still resonating, even though Luke was clearly not making a sound. And yet again, he was exposed.

"Dreck!" the shout was useless, seeing as the replica was unresponsive. Asch slowly approached, not sure what exactly it was he wanted to do. In spite of that, the mental shouts of pain quieted into whimpers as he grew closer, Luke gaining comfort in the proximity of his original. Kneeling and raising a tentative hand, Asch brushed the short strands of hair away from Luke's face, revealing a small cut across his forehead. His expression was twisted in mental anguish and tears moved in a steady stream.

"I will help you," he promised quietly as he pulled away and stood, "you just need to wait for me." Asch bowed his head and turned, pulling himself out Luke's mind and back into his own.

The sun wasn't very high in the sky when he came back to awareness, just barely above the tallest buildings in front of him. Guy and Tear would be awake at this point so he lowered himself to the ground using the branches beneath him. Walking at a leisurely pace, he left the courtyard and entered the tall cathedral. Anise's mother passed him as he went through the main hall looking like she was going shopping, carrying a basket over one arm. She waved at him though he ignored her in favour of watching Jade step through the doorway almost lazily, if that were possible. Natalia and Guy came after looking a bit frazzled.

"I must ask that you move quickly," Jade spoke before anyone else managed to open their mouths. "Luke had shown signs of weakening after you left. Tear is currently making sure that nothing will happen but I don't know how long that will last. Natalia will help you in her place," Asch nodded, giving a brief glance to Natalia and Guy.

"We'd better leave now, then," he turned and started for the door with the blonds following behind him. He was curious, but he knew he didn't want to find out just how weak Luke had gotten. The image in his mind was enough to set him on his course.

\---

"What do you suppose we'll find out here?" was Natalia's question as they hovered over that vast expanse that used to be Akzeriuth. St. Binah wasn't too far and they had used the Malkuth route in order to find the mining city. Below them, a barren stretch of land remained.

"I'm not sure yet," Asch replied as he turned to Noelle. "Find someplace to land. I need to be there physically," the pilot glanced back then nodded, turning the airship to the ground in a landing dive.

On the ground, the area didn't appear to be any different. The only change Natalia or Guy could see was the shift in Asch's posture. The scenery around them was as bleak grounded as it was in the air. Asch seemed to be the only one that could sense a difference.

The princess approached him and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, asking softly, "What is it, Asch? What's here?" Guy continued to survey their surroundings as the God-General stared in one direction.

"I want you to stay here," he requested, drawing Guy's gaze toward him. The blond nobles watched his back as he started at a brisk pace in a seemingly random direction. They glanced at each other before following, knowing this was what Jade was talking about when he told them to come. They quickened their pace when Asch disappeared from their sight but froze once an invisible barrier was crossed, bombarding them with sounds of pain and feelings of betrayal.

"What?" Guy clutched his head and looked forward, finding Asch as he continued forward without stopping.

"I told you not to come," was his response. Natalia looked as if she wanted to say something but was stopped when the figure of a woman, bleeding from her head, appeared before the two of them.

'Who are you?' Asch stopped and whirled around, dashing back to them with the fiercest look of anger either of them had seen.

"Where is he?" he roared, drawing his sword and attempting to slice the woman in half. Guy would've been amused by this fact had it been any other situation considering the woman wouldn't have been able to answer but when she vanished to reappear behind her assailant, Guy was stunned.

'So you're back...' Asch only growled and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Where is he?" he repeated slowly. The woman only smirked, altering the path of blood.

'Now, why should we tell you that?' Natalia squeaked, skittering away from the form of a man that had materialized beside her. His one working eye glared at her before returning to Asch.

'Yeah, he's ours! He promised!' Guy and Natalia stared at the child before the woman, recognizing him as the one that had sank in front of their eyes. Asch went to strike him but the blade only passed through him, disrupting his image briefly.

'What do you think you're doing? Striking a child like that!' A girl passed through them, racing to the child and picking him up.

'If you keep annoying us like this, we might take you too,' Asch glared at the other teen, stepping back as the spirits surrounded the trio.

"Just try it," Asch dared, bringing his sword to a ready position.

'Oh, I don't think we need to go  _that_ far,' Asch's eyes widened as the old woman appeared immediately before him, her hand stretched out for his forehead.

However, just as her fingers brushed him, she was pushed back along with the rest of them.

' _Run! Don't stay! Get as far away as you can!'_  Luke's voice echoed around them as Asch brought his hand up to cover his forehead and one eye.

"Luke?" Guy called as the spirits started to pick themselves up off the ground.

' _Go!'_

"No," Asch growled, dropping his hand and sheathing his sword.

"Asch!" Natalia reached after him as he started running, dodging the hands that grappled for him. The pair followed after him, careful not to touch the ones on the ground.

"Where are you going?" Guy veered to one side as the ground cracked sending a spray of mud into the air. He and Natalia hastened their pace so as to not be hit by it.

"After him!" Asch called back, not stopping.

Natalia's legs soon started to burn as they raced along the island, dodging cracks and towering boulders in their path. The calls of the spirits echoed dimly behind them, urging her forward and to not stop. Guy also showed signs of tiring, sweat beading on his brow. If it wasn't for the taunting behind them, he would be half tempted to stop.

Asch growled as he jumped over a particularly large rock in his path. Looming walls appeared out of the haze, coming to different levels and openings becoming visible. He didn't slow down as he streaked through the one in front of him. Inside, Guy and Natalia found the place to be dreadfully familiar. They passed support beams every few meters and broken tracks were scattered on the ground. The haze of the miasma covered fallen walls and rocks until they were almost upon them and they had to leap in order to avoid them.

"Can we slow down?" Natalia shouted, unable to hear the spirits any longer.

"No! If we do, he might not be there," Asch yelled back. He turned down a narrow tunnel, surprisingly able to keep his speed as he ran on the uneven terrain. Guy nearly ran passed it, not seeing it in time and Natalia had to slow down. Her heeled shoes would keep catching on the random rock.

A wordless yell bounced against the walls, wavering and breaking as they traveled. This spurred them on, following Asch as he turned and weaved through the near invisible branches of the mine.

' _No, please!'_  His voice sobbed, followed by a cry of pain. Asch's heart raced, pounding harder than it ever had before. Fear gripped him as his mind flashed images before his eyes, his replica far worse than when he'd seen him that morning. Dull green eyes boring into him, blaming him for his current state. This spurred him on, knowing he couldn't let it happen.

Guy called out his name just as Natalia tripped. She fell with a gasp, scrapping her palms, elbows and knees against the hard rock. Guy stopped and turned back while Asch raced on. He didn't think as he gripped her arms and pulled her up, both of them starting to run again as she raised.

The God-General was barely visible at that point, Guy just catching his back as the tunnel curved. "Hurry," he breathed and they quickened their pace, Guy tugging on her arm every time she slipped.

' _Turn back!_ '

Then they were out, the vast cavern before them high above their heads and the opposite wall far behind the veil of miasma. Asch continued to run, his strides becoming longer and faster. Natalia struggled to keep up as Guy pulled further ahead.

' _Stop!'_  Natalia saw it coming before she was able to react. Tiny blades came whistling through the air, cutting the miasma apart and slicing their way past the trio. Her face was scratched and her sleeves were torn before she managed to dive for the dirt. Immediately she started concentrating on Healing Wind, hoping it would cover her, Guy and Asch.

'Well, well, isn't this surprising,' High pitched giggling surrounded them followed by the clang of a blade.

'Indeed. You'd think he would learn,' Asch grit his teeth and got to his feet as the spell took effect.

'And look! He brought friends!' The giggling continued as Guy and Natalia stood as well.

'Should we take them, too?'

' _No!'_

'You shut up!' They hurried forward as Luke cried out. In the back of Natalia's mind, she wondered how it was even possible for him to be there. As far as she knew, he was still in Daath.

'Uh-oh, he's getting angry,' The sing-song tone taunted them. Whistling started up again and they braced themselves, narrowly dodging the blades as they passed.

Finally the girls became visible, standing side-by-side with twin grins on their faces. They wore matching dresses that were torn in various places, showing the raw wounds that covered them. A hole stood out in their chests where they'd clearly been impaled. Dull dark hair fell over their shoulders and grey eyes stared at them. Short swords were held in their outward hands.

The left tugged at the right's sleeve. 'Hey, they're staring. Do you think we freak them out?'

'Nah, not if they've seen the elder. He's still scared of her,' They giggled again, leaning on each other and pressing their foreheads together. The men drew their swords and Natalia unclipped her bow, pulling out an arrow from her quiver.

"Where is he?" Asch pointed his sword at them, green eyes burning with anger. The left took a deep breath, leaning back and swing her arm out to the side.

'Why would we tell you that? You'd only take him away,' she laced her fingers with her partner so she wouldn't fall over. Natalia and Guy shared a glance then stepped closer to Asch.

'Ooh, looks like they're preparing for a fight,' The right one straightened her partner and they took mirroring stances.

'It's a good thing we were good to go,' They grinned again.

' _No!'_  A wall of gold erupted between them as a familiar burst of power washed over them, bringing the wave of wind with it. Natalia nearly fell from the force of it, flailing her arms to keep balanced and Guy grunted, bracing himself on the ground. A sphere of energy slowly descended from the ceiling and the twins screamed with rage.

"What...?" Natalia's gaze slowly filled with wonder at the golden glow before them. It was round and about half the size of Asch who stood in front of it, shining enough to bathe them with warmth and energy.

'What?' The right one trembled and her grip on her partner's hand tightened.

'How dare he'- The left one was just as angry, -intervening bastard.-

Asch slowly stepped forward with his blade clattering to the ground. He held out his arms as if to embrace the ball of energy.

"Hey," Guy called as the glow seemed to gain more life the closer Asch got, morphing its shape to that of a human then dropping into waiting arms.

Natalia watched in silence as the glow melded with her first love, inducing the light upon him before fading. She cried out as he started to drop, Guy dashing forward to catch him.

'Dammit!' Natalia turned abruptly, nearly giving herself whiplash as the spirits all gathered behind them. She sent an arrow flying and it passed through the adults, freezing them in their position.

"Let's go!" Guy shouted, adjusting his hold on the original and picking up his sword. He ran passed Natalia and she followed, shooting the spirits before they got too close to Guy.

'Get them!' The twins shouted in unison behind the barrier.

\--- 

_It was warm. Different from the usual. And painless. Where was he?_

_It was light. Another change. The room was small and plain containing only a mirror, a bed and a cot. Where was this? He didn't know it._

_Standing and wondering. The floor was cold._

_The door was opening. A person entered. He stared. They stared too. Then they approached. Quickly._

_He cried out. Move! They stopped. He dropped to the floor._

_Flash. Metal. Sharp. A dagger._

_Lunging forward. Grasping. Clutching. They would want this, right?_

_Pending release..._

\--- 

They were back on the Albiore, though Asch was still unconscious. Noelle barely questioned them when they had come running full tilt, only lifting off once the ramp was safely put into position. Asch was placed into a chair and Guy had reclined it until the body it was holding was mostly horizontal. Natalia had healed what she could of the burns on his forehead. Scars would remain from where the elder had touched him with her poison touch.

Now the three conscious blonds were watching the grounds below them through the windows, not speaking a word. They were back on the outer lands and on a straight track for Daath, stopping not being in their plans.

Natalia made her routine check on the red-head, looking over the mark on and over his left eye where the old woman had managed to touch. She pondered over this, questioning if Luke had gone through the same and settled on finding out once they got back for the fifth time that trip.

She looked up as the ship started to slow then lower to the ground.  _Finally..._

Guy stood from his seat and went to go pick up Asch. He was slapped away before he even managed to get a hand under his head.

"Don't touch me," was the mumbled order. Natalia raised herself from her seat as Asch sat up, making Guy back away. She was about to say something when he seemed to freeze, emerald eyes going wide.

"That  _idiot_!" he bellowed, resulting in the three others on the ship to jump as Asch made a mad-dash for the back. Guy caught his bearings just before Natalia did, chasing after him and watching as he jumped off the lowering ramp and sprinted for the city. The pair waited for the ramp to be completely lowered then followed after the seemingly distressed God-General.

Natalia watched his back as he climbed and jumped from roof to roof, building to building, in a clear route for the cathedral. She briefly wondered why he would take such a path when Guy's shout made her look the tower where a falling form caught her eye. The princess cried out as she reached uselessly and started to run.

Guy stayed put, watching in horror at the sight of his best friend falling and Tear hanging helplessly out the window.

The citizens of Daath went to any place where they could see this rare occurrence, balconies, the streets, and even their own rooftops. Those that did go up wondered even more at the red and black streak that flew past them and they all held their breath in apprehension as he made a final leap. He arched through the air, arms out stretched and eyes narrowed in determination. He would catch him.

The bystanders had to look away when Asch made contact. The brilliant glow that had erupted from them had everyone else turning away. And once people could see again, the ones they were watching were nowhere in sight.

The entire city was silent for only a moment, then Tear screamed, Luke's name echoing throughout the city.


	3. Propane Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In a trail of fire, I know we will be free again. In a trail of fire, I'll burn before you bury me._

Within Auldrant, there are sites that hadn't been touched since the Dawn Age, the Tower of Rem being one of them. However, there's another that is much closer to a place of civilization. Deep beneath the lowest known levels of the watcher's city rests abandoned ruins. Not having seen the light of day for the longest time, creatures of the darkness began to take over, breaking down walls and tearing open pipes and wires. It was this place where Lorelei deemed to be the safest place for those he called himself to stay.

The light began dim, but even then, creatures fled. This was new, unknown, and they needed to get away immediately. This could be investigated later. When the light grew big enough to light the area around it, not a movement could be seen. Then, time seemed to reverse itself, walls that had crumbled starting to rebuild themselves, surrounding the light and sheltering it, shielding it from any chance of harm. Rumbles and groans echoed throughout the musty place, foundations and supports rearranging themselves to stand firm once more.

By the time the sounds of grating stone faded away, a small, single story house stood where it had once fallen, illuminated by the particles of light that surrounded it in a barrier. Inside, the brilliant light had faded, revealing the huddled forms of Lorelei's scions. Both were sleeping soundly, keeping close to each other for warmth in the cool air that surrounded them.

It wasn't long before one began to awaken, clutching the other in his grasp tighter as instinct filled him with the need to protect. But when he became fully aware, he hurriedly removed himself from the hold, brushing himself off as he stood near the wall. The red-head looked around the room, trying not to stare at the person he had been holding on to like a life-line.

Confusion curved the corners of his lips as he took in what was clearly a bedroom. Two beds rested against opposite walls with a simple desk between them. A lamp stood on its surface and Asch crossed the room to turn it on before taking in the single dresser at the end of one bed and the two doors at the end of the other. Then he looked to the replica on the floor and sighed heavily.

Transferring him to a bed was quick work and he was soon exploring the rest of the house. One of the doors turned out to be a rather large closet that held quite a few odds and ends aside from the expected clothing. The other led into a hallway. The door across was a plain empty room that held no purpose whatsoever while the door next to that showed a laundry room. Or so he assumed. The appliances weren't of any variety he'd ever seen before. The door next to the bedroom was revealed to be another closet, though it sported linens. The final door was the bathroom which he noted with some relief.

The end of the hall opened to a sitting room with a small kitchenette off to the side. He crossed his arms as his frown deepened. There was no front door. Whatever it was that put them there was either really stupid or really smart. 

\---

Ion's room was in a state of minor chaos as everyone tried to understand what had just happened. Tear had gone into the next room to check on Luke and for a moment everything had seemed fine. That was until the shouting started. Luke had awoken - that much was certain - and gotten a hold on one of Tear's daggers.

By that time, Jade and Anise had entered and they immediately tried to take the weapon away. In his panic, Luke had climbed back onto the bed, the dagger still in his hand and nearly stepping on Mieu. When he had fallen out the window, Jade only just managed to grab the back of Tear's dress before she followed after him. Ion had come in and was standing next to Anise when a flash nearly blinded them all. The scream brought them back to their senses; Anise and Ion stepping closer as Jade pulled Tear back in.

Now, the melodist was still clearly in shock as she sat on the bed clutching Ion's guardian in a death grip. She wasn't crying, not yet. But Natalia certainly was, curled up behind Tear and Anise. She had come in shortly afterwards, telling what she had seen through her sobs and tears. She was still asking questions that no one had the answers to. The cheagle was trying to comfort her by attempting to answer her questions and patting her hair every once in a while.

Guy was conversing with Jade and Ion about the events down in the Qliphoth. He was shocked about Luke but this needed to be told. He described the spirits and how Asch already seemed to know them, hardly being phased when they appeared. He also described what happened when Asch was touched by one of them.

Jade's eyes narrowed, recalling the unexplained burns that had appeared on Luke before. "It seems that just mentally, these apparitions are dangerous," he claimed. Guy appeared startled.

"Luke has them too?" He grit his teeth as Ion nodded, being one of the ones that had to bandage him.

"I think there's something else here, something greater than us," he said, glancing to the murmuring Natalia, "not to mention that both Asch and Luke are missing now." Jade nodded.

"Let's not forget that the lands are still falling," he reminded, "without either of them, we cannot control the Sephiroth." Guy felt like punching the colonel.

"Guy," Ion's tone was warning, sensing his growing frustration. He then turned to Jade, "Are you talking about the disappearance of Rugnica and the Zao Desert?"

Jade nodded, "Yes, I'd actually like to look at the Closed score." Guy looked at him, "I want to see if any of this was foreseen just not released." Jade looked down at Ion who frowned.

"I had actually come back here to look at it since I never bothered before but I don't recall reading anything about the lands falling," he revealed, gaze falling to the floor.

Anise watched as the three males fell into silence, still held in Tear's arms. She lifted her head slightly, trying not to pull away. "So we're going to the chapel?" Jade merely turned while the other two tried not to show their surprise.

"I think that would be the best move at this time," the colonel replied, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Anise nodded then nudged Tear, "Tear?" The sixteen year old blinked and slowly lowered he gaze to the girl. "We're going to the chapel. Do you wanna come?" There was a brief pause before she nodded. Anise smiled then leaned back onto Natalia's legs.

"Natalia," she shifted her head to show she was listening, "would you like to come with us?" Again there was a brief pause before she started to sit up. Taking that as an affirmative, Anise pulled away from the two of them. Mieu floated to Natalia's shoulder and curled into her neck, his own form of a hug.

The sound of a door shutting stopped them and the men turned, viewing the closed door before them.

"Grand Maestro Mohs," Jade's brow twitched as Dist's lazy drawl came through the door, "allow me to confirm your promise." The girls stood from the bed, quietly making their way closer. "If I help you restart the war, you'll give me Professor Nebilim's replica data," Jade's jaw clenched, an action only noticed by Ion.

"Leave it to me, I'll take it from Van," Tear frowned and crossed her arms.

"Then allow Dist the Rose," Guy's eye twitched, "to offer you a plan for resuming the war." Here, everyone listened harder. "First, I believe we should have Fon Master Ion issue a proclamation ending the truce." Everyone watched as Ion stomped forward in an uncharacteristic bout of anger and threw open the door, interrupting Mohs.

"I hope you don't mind if I refuse your order," Ion stated, glaring in such a way that the two shivered. Guy and Jade rushed in, taking the chance to knock them out. The girls watched as Dist tried to escape by flying only to be thwarted when Jade tossed his spear. The weapon lodged into the back of the chair, cutting some hair in the process. The God-General fainted from the shock.

Guy took care of Mohs with a simple hit to the back of the neck. Natalia cringed as Dist and his chair fell on top of the overweight Maestro.

"Anise, the rope," Guy directed, hauling Dist and Mohs apart as Jade recalled his spear. Anise came in with the bindings, tying Mohs around the wrist and ankles like cattle while Guy held him. They then turned to Dist with the remaining length of rope.

"That's a bit much, don't you think," the archer gave her opinion quietly. Tear smiled slightly.

"They're men, what do you expect," Natalia shook her head and sighed, stepping forward to meet the rest of the group with the younger woman behind her.

"It sounds like Mohs and Van have different objectives," Jade voiced the thoughts that everyone had.

"And that Dist is playing them both for his own ends," Guy added then shook his head, "this is getting to be too much." Anise looked at him with an almost guilty expression.

"Luke and Asch are missing and Mohs wants to restart the war," Natalia summarized gazing thoughtfully at her feet. "But what about Van?" she wondered, lifting her head to see everyone else, "What does he want?"

"He's trying to drop the Outer Lands and exterminate humanity," Tear said instantly. Her hands turned into fists, shaking slightly from the pressure. Natalia placed a calming hand on her arm.

"Van doesn't strike me as a person interested in pointless slaughter. Mohs feels like a threat since his objective is at least clear," Jade pointed out. The others nodded.

"But what are we gonna do? Some people still think we're dead," Anise placed her hands on her hips for emphasis.

"We'll go down stairs first," Ion re-entered the conversation, "I'll read you the closed score like Jade requested then you can try and look for Luke."

"We can go to King Ingobert first, see if he has any information," Natalia bit her lip at Guy's statement.

"But father..." the princess trailed off, showing her uncertainty.

"If you're father denies all those years of memories, then he doesn't deserve to be your father," Guy said then smiled and looked at Natalia, "I learned that from Luke." Natalia blushed and hurriedly lowered her gaze.

Ion smiled then cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, "Let's go then. I have a feeling we don't have much time." Everyone nodded and made their way out of the room after locking Dist and Mohs in the other room.

"You don't think they'll do anything?" Tear questioned Ion on their way down.

"Unless they launch themselves out the window, they won't be going anywhere," was the reply.

 ---

_They were calling. Searching. Angry._

_"You promised!" He trembled._

_"Answer us!" His eyes burned._

_"Answer to your promise!" His chest ached._

_I'm sorry…_

_\---_

They reached the Fonstone without much recognition and gathered close as Ion positioned himself directly behind it. "This was formed by combining the First through Sixth Fonestones," he started as he placed his hand on the stone, "Fon Masters can read the entire score from fragments but the volume is immense. I'll just go over the score regarding the collapses these past few years," he looked over everybody before closing his eyes and allowing the power of the Fonstone to take over him.

"ND2000. In Kimlasca shall be born the scion of Lorelei's power," he recited the words as they flowed through him, "He will be of royal blood with hair of red. He shall be called 'the light of the sacred flame' and he will lead Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to new prosperity.

"ND2002. The one who would seize glory shall destroy the island of his birth, a land named Hod. War shall persist between Kimlasca and Malkuth for a full cycle of seasons.

"ND2018. The young scion of Lorelei's power shall bring his people to the miner's city. There, the youth will turn power to calamity and be as a weapon of Kimlasca, destroying himself and the city. Thereafter, the land of Rugnica will be enveloped in war, and Malkuth shall lose territory. Kimlasca-Lanvaldear shall thrive, and this shall lead to unprecedented prosperity."

He cut himself from the power, feeling his energy flow to the stone as he fell to his knees with a gasp. Anise was at his side in a moment, her hands bracing his shoulders as he regained his breath.

"That's all," he said after a moment, swallowing thickly and standing, "that's all the Sixth Fonstone says about the collapse."

"So," Guy sighed, "all it talks about is Akzeriuth and the war..."

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought, taking in the information with tapping fingers and crossed arms.

"Who's the 'scion of Lorelei's power'?" Tear asked slowly, looking away from the edge of the fixture that held the Fonstone.

"Luke, of course," Natalia answered immediately as her arms dropped to her sides.

"But Luke was only born seven years ago," Tear countered with a shake of her head, having thought of it herself.

"This is ND2018. It said 2000," Jade pointed out, "so that has to be Asch."

"Asch was supposed to perish along with Akzeriuth," Tear looked back to the Fonstone as she frowned, "but he's still alive."

"But Luke went to Akzeriuth before that could happen," Anise put in then rocked back on her heels, "this Score is messed up."

"Asch did show up later, but he was no longer called Luke - the 'light of the sacred flame'," Guy's hand dropped from his chin as the group fell into another silence.

"Luke's existence," Tear started slowly, realization widening her eyes, "the existence of a replica - it's missing from Yulia's Score."

\---

_Dark again. Warmth. Dim lights and the sound of pacing. Did they find him?_

_Shifting. Lifting. Staring. What...?_

"'Bout time, dreck."

_Moving. Looking. Searching. Where...?_

"Don't know, but you need to eat something."

_Eat...? What did he mean? He didn't have to eat. They had him. He couldn't eat._

"Of course. Do you want to starve?"

_But they... They had him, didn't they? Where did they go? He couldn't see them. Couldn't hear them. Confusion. Hello?_

"Luke! They aren't here!"

_Not... here? Where were they then? Did they go somewhere?_

"No, and they never will be if I can help it."

_Why...? Fear. They would hurt him bad if they ever found him._

"You were dying. I don't know if you realized it, but you were dying."

_But they... They wanted that. They wanted him and he had to go to them._

_Pain again. Tears and aching sobs. They were going to find him, he knew it. Just like they found him the first time. He had to go before they hurt him too badly. And Asch. Asch would get hurt too._

_No! They'll hurt you! Pleading for understanding. Racing. Overwhelming. Fighting for control._

_Black._

\---

After three days of pacing, figuring out the various uses around the place, and being more bored than he could ever remember being - _he didn't even have his sword_ , Luke had woken up. It had started out as an echo in the back of his mind, a dim awareness of Luke's thoughts and emotions that slowly grew. Not that he could make anything of it, though. Anything familiar only resonated when he spoke and talking back only seemed to help the confusion. He had thrown himself into the desk chair by the end of it, restraining himself from smacking the wood with his face by tugging at his hair with a groan. He cursed his decision to try and help.

A quiet sound brought his attention back to his replica and he sighed. Another nightmare. He stood and made for the bathroom, returning with a damp cloth for the tears he knew would be coming. He didn't have to wait long once he'd pulled the chair over. The sight still unnerved him despite the things he had witnessed in his life. A person crying blood wasn't something he figured he'd be getting used to.

He methodically wiped the tears away as they slowly gathered, ignoring the tremors that shook him as the nightmare carried on. If Asch had to wager a guess, the spirits still had some kind of hold on him. One that didn't break after his trip to the ruined mines. His other hand rose to his forehead at the thought, pressing against the elder's scar. The spirits were unnatural. Tainted beings that fed on guilt and death.

His jaw tightened as he brought his hand down, brushing Luke's hair out of the way before resting it in his lap. Damned idiot. Only he could get into the dumbest situations. And he always had to drag himself into it. It was infuriating.

He huffed and leaned back, refolding the cloth to a cleaner portion then leaning forward again. He focused on his work, slowly moving back and forth to prevent the tears from falling in Luke's hair or onto the sheets. "Wake up, dumb ass," he murmured partially to himself, "so I don't have to do this anymore. It's a pain." Part of him hoped for a response and he scowled. No doubt any response he received would be just as irritating and confusing as it was before.

Luke moved under his hand and he paused, lifting his brow as he wondered at the unlikeliness of it. But again, Luke moved and Asch pulled away, realizing that sometime during his musing, Luke had calmed and the tears had faded from the stark red they had been. Looking at the cloth, he found less red on the side he'd been using than he expected. He frowned and looked back. Some kind of cleansing ritual, then?

Luke's eyes flickered once before he stilled, his breath evening out in sleep. Well then. Asch scoffed and stood, leaving the room to toss the cloth in the laundry before going to the kitchen. If the idiot wasn't going to get up and eat, he was.

\---

Asch blinked in confusion, staring at the clear blue in front of him. A small breeze lifted a strand of his hair and he watched it fall back, distracted by the red that gleamed in the light. When it disappeared from his vision, he continued to stare into the blue. He was content with just staying still; not moving a muscle while the world passed him by.

Then the blue was blocked by a familiar face. He couldn't recall who it was as kind green eyes watched him with light red strands just barely out of the way. A smile graced their lips as they pulled back and Asch followed him with his eyes, only turning his head. The teenager stood and stepped away, still smiling as he spun on the spot and jogged away. His long white jacket trailed behind him, fluttering in the breeze as he danced. Surprisingly, he never tripped on his pants since his toes were barely visible.

Time seemed to slow as the teen faced him, the smile widening to a grin. Asch sighed and closed his eyes. He could stand to stay like this forever, nothing to worry about and nothing to truly bother him. Only peace.

When he opened his eyes again, his breath stopped. The red-head in front of him was falling, his back facing him. He could see the jacket slowly turn red and his heart skipped a beat when he saw why. A blade protruded from his chest, a very familiar blade. His blade.

Everything turned red in an instant. The grass became a deep crimson, the sky a brilliant ruby. Tones of dark, almost black red separated everything. The teen's skin nearly blended with the sky as he stretched, his hand reaching for Asch. He tried to move, willing his arms to shift or his lips to form a word. His efforts were fruitless. His mouth opened with a cry as blood like tears poured, pained eyes staring at him. Emerald.

\---

_Lovely child of sound..._


	4. Watercolour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Will you take me out of here when I'm staring down the barrel? When I'm blinded by the lights, when I cannot see your face?_

Asch jerked awake, his breath coming in harsh gasps as he clutched at the sheets. The nightmare quickly fled his mind, leaving him with a vague sense of horror as he worked to calm his breathing. He pulled his hand through his hair, clearing his bangs from his face as he looked across the room. No change. He sighed and let his head fall forward, contemplating on returning to sleep. A flash of red crossed his mind and he clenched his jaw before pushing the sheets away and getting out. He turned on the lamp as he left the room, heading straight for the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

Nearly ten minutes later, he was sinking into the desk chair with a small sigh as he breathed the scent of the coffee. He closed his eyes as he relaxed and allowed the brew to fully wake him. Another ten minutes and he would get to waking the dreck up.

He looked at the replica from over the rim, taking in what was obviously a state of sleep and not just simple unconsciousness. The day before seemed to have been a switch. He tapped the side of his mug. But a switch from what? What had been the difference? The spirits? He scoffed to himself. Obviously, but what was the connection? Did the spirits somehow alter the mind? They had played on the idiot's guilt. Used it for their own ends. He tilted his head at that, watching as said idiot turned slightly. What was it that the spirits wanted so badly?

He huffed and drained the last of the coffee, setting it on the desk as he leaned forward. Wake up time.

\---

Natalia chewed on the inside of her lip as they approached Baticul, clutching the edge of her seat in the Albiore to keep her nerves from showing further. Various scenarios of her father's rejection played in her mind, many of them ending with them being arrested or killed. Or both, her mind seemed to taunt her and she gripped the seat tighter.

"Hey," she jumped as Tear placed a comforting hand on her shoulder then smiled apologetically. It appeared she wasn't hiding her nerves as well as she thought. "It'll be alright," Tear assured, "everything will work out." She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Tear smiled softly.

"You still have us," she told her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before settling back into her own seat.

"Thank you," Natalia murmured as she looked to the window, watching the clouds as the Albiore passed them by. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, trying to still the minute shaking she could feel in her hands. Everything will be fine. She released her breath and clenched her jaw. If only she could believe it.

They managed to land and get to the castle without incident, quickly scaling the tiers of Baticul with very little speaking. It was just outside the audience chamber when Natalia paused. She bowed her head, hoping beyond belief that her father had yet to be told. Mohs' voice echoed through the back of her mind and she swallowed. Hopefully, he had lied at the time but if Almandine had reported the incident…

"Natalia," Jade urged and she nodded, raising her chin and straightening her back in the image of the princess she was raised to be. It wasn't just her future riding on this meeting.

"Let's go," she murmured, striding forward to push through the doors and into the chamber. "Father!" she called as the King stood, surprise, awe, and a small bit of apprehension showing through as his guard fell.

"Natalia," her name came out in nearly a whisper and she nodded, pacing the rest of the room to reach the steps to the throne. "You're truly alive. I hesitated to believe it when I received reports of your sightings yet," he trailed off as he sank back into his seat and Natalia smiled. He didn't seem to know yet.

"I apologize for not returning sooner but there were more pressing matters at hand," she stepped back as the rest of her group came to a stop behind her, "Father, Grand Maestro Mohs wants this war between Malkuth and Kimlasca and he will do everything in his power for it to keep. He has already been to Malkuth claiming that the fall of Akzeriuth is at the fault of our country and I'm willing to believe he is en route to Baticul to report something similar. Whatever you do, do not heed his words."

Ingobert was frowning, "Natalia, this is a very large accusation you're pinning on the Grand Maestro, are you absolutely sure?"

"Very much so," Natalia nodded, "there's also the matter of the lands at this moment. I'm sure you've noticed the disappearance of Chesedonia and most of the desert."

"Indeed."

"They will not be the last."

"But the Score!"

Natalia shook her head as her hands curled into fists, "The Score isn't to be trusted! Already, events have happened that-"

"Your Majesty!" Natalia spun in surprise, watching with wide eyes as Alpine entered the chamber with a woman at his heels, "Don't listen to the lies of this impostor!" Natalia's breath hitched as the rest of the group tensed.

"You mean," Ingobert's whole being seemed to crumble as Alpine nodded.

"She confirmed it," He gestured to the woman who only gave a slight bow.

"Nanny?"

The woman refused to look at her, "Your daughter was stillborn," she reported, "but the Queen fell into despair. So I took my daughter's child, who was born a few days earlier, to her…"

Natalia turned to the King, "Father, please!"

"Silence!" Alpine slashed his hand at her and she stepped back, feeling a hand come up to rest on her shoulder. Alpine faced the King once again, "She took me to where the Princess was buried. I'd like for you to see the proof of her words."

Ingobert slowly pulled his head from his hands and stood, still managing to move with grace despite his distress, "Very well," he nodded to Alpine, "take me there."

"Father!" Natalia bit back a sob as the King walked towards the doors.

"Guards, capture them!" The hand on her shoulder tightened its grip as Alpine's shout signaled the soldiers into moving.

"Fight them off!" Jade's voice commanded from right behind her as the door closed behind her father. He was the one holding her shoulder. "We can't afford to be stopped here."

"This seriously blows," Anise quipped as Natalia shakily retrieved her bow from her back.

"Anything different would be suspicious," Jade returned and then they were fighting.

It didn't take as long as she had expected. Either the soldiers had gotten weaker during their leave or they had gotten stronger and she highly doubted her- the King would let his army weaken when there was a war brewing.

"Let's get out of here," Tear offered and the group made for the exit. Natalia kept her bow clutched in her trembling grip as she ran, not trusting herself to be able to retrieve it if she placed it on her back.

She didn't end up needing it, the group clearing the bridge with little more than curious and confused glances as they fled the city. She sank to the ground once they had reached a veritable level of safety, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. Tear kneeled next to her and placed a comforting hand on her back. She didn't say anything and for that, Natalia was grateful.

"So, what do we do now?" Anise spoke up as she rose to her feet, nodding to Tear in thanks.

"Not Daath," Guy ruled out, "Ion said he'd send a message if he found anything about Luke and going there might hold him back form searching."

"We'll return to Sheridan," Jade decided, "Iemon and the others might be able to come up with something that could help us. If not, I'm sure our pilot misses her family."

"Aw, Colonel," Anise cooed, "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't," Jade smiled down at her, "I'm simply making sure that she doesn't become despondent and hold us back in the future."

"Cold," Guy muttered as Tear sighed.

\---

Asch scowled as he stood in the hallway, watching the idiot as he stared out the sitting room window. There wasn't much out there, just a wall of gold and barely visible shadows beyond it. Though, judging by the emotions he could sense in the back of his mind, the idiot wasn't actually looking outside. He huffed. If he wasn't going to do much more than stand there, then he could do something about himself. He went to the linen closet, pulled out a towel then returned to lob the length of fabric at the back of the reject's head. Surprise flickered through that was echoed by an actual cry as Luke turned around to stare at him, the towel falling to his hand.

"You've been standing there for nearly an hour," Asch pointed out with a glare then stepped to the side, "go make yourself productive and take a shower." Luke continued to stare and Asch continued to glare until he finally started moving. He nearly tripped over the chair on his way by and Asch rolled his eyes as he went into the kitchen. "Food will be done when you're out," he received a hum of acknowledgement and he turned to watch Luke's back as it disappeared down the hall. The first real attempt at communication since he woke up. Though he dreaded to think about what it would lead to. Incessant chatter and endless worries about his friends, his mind supplied and he cursed himself. Food. He was making food, not thinking about the dreck in the future.

Something quick, he mused as he opened the cupboard and considered his options. Pasta was quick. There, decision made. He grabbed the dried noodles and a jar of sauce before moving to the freezer and taking out a pack of ground meat. Then he set about preparing it. Simple stuff. Pot of water to boil and a frying pan for the meat and sauce.

When was the last time he'd had pasta? He remembered someone making it one night where they had stayed in an inn though he couldn't remember exactly how long ago that was. He frowned, but wait... Didn't he just have it a couple days before the whole mess in Daath started? Yes, yes he did. It had a bit more than just sauce and meat but he did have it. But he could also remember having some kind of stew then- Wait.

His hands slammed onto the counter and he heard a thump as the idiot probably tripped in the shower. This was getting stupid. He worked to separate his thoughts from the reject's and if he felt a string of indignant hurt flow through as he untangled the threads he wasn't making any note of it.

He wondered why he'd taken to keeping the link open. Then he wondered why he didn't just close it back up again. It was tempting, he figured as he registered the other's emotions turning south. He scowled and sent him a mental nudge. Though, if keeping it the way it currently was kept him from wallowing he supposed he'd have to keep at it. He had no patience for his self-pity.

\---

Ion hummed softly to himself as he searched the shelves of the abandoned library, taking care to not disturb the dust too much and make a mess of himself. He was sure he had seen it once months ago, hidden among texts of similar colouring though he struggled to remember if it was a deep red or a deep blue. The shadows that filled most of the room made it difficult to recall. Genesis… genesis… genesis… The word turned into the lyrics to his song as he scanned the spines, not noticing when then they took on a green hue.

There!

He reached up and pulled the tome from the shelf, holding his breath to avoid breathing the dislodged dust. Genesis of the World. He grinned and made his way to the exit, proud of his accomplishment. Jade could definitely make use of it.

He took a closer look at it once he got into better light, laughing slightly as he realized it was neither red nor blue but green instead and thumbed through the pages. Yes, it would be very useful, now if only he could figure out a way to get it to them. He'd have to send someone to hand it to them in person, sending it through the carrier system was simply too dangerous. Anyone could see the book for what it was if they got a glimpse inside. There was also Mohs to consider as well. He'd gone up to unlock the door shortly after the group had left to Baticul and seeing as he had yet to be approached by the man after several hours he could assume Mohs had taken his leave of Daath for the time being.

He hummed lowly as he wiped the rest of the dust off the cover of the tome. There was also Luke and Asch to consider. He'd have to ask around, see if there had been any strange sightings that could lead him to them. He knew the occupants of his city would have little information with them being witness to the initial event. But if a flash took them, then something similar had to leave them somewhere. Perhaps he should go around in person. The people were more likely to answer to the Fon Master himself if not to his messenger. But then… He sighed and shook his head. He had to take care of the issues that were floating around Daath, not leave them to someone else once again. He could tell Tritheim was doing most of it just by looking at his haggard appearance. No, he would have to send a missive to the major cities instead and hope that they wouldn't get intercepted. He would have to deal with asking around his own city between work.

He held the tome close and looked up just in time for an acolyte to come careening around the corner and run clear into him. He managed to catch himself on the wall though the book and the acolyte himself both tumbled to the floor with his hat rolling further along the corridor. Ion blinked in surprise.

"I am so sorry, Fon Master!" came the immediate rush as the acolyte picked himself up and hurried to retrieve his hat, "I didn't expect to find you down this way, no one ever comes through here. Please, if there's anything I can do," he trailed off as he placed his hat back on his head, hiding his hair. He then bent to pick up the tome Ion had dropped and held it out, waiting for him to take it back.

He didn't take it immediately, taking in the acolyte's almost nondescript appearance after replacing the hat. "Tell me, what's your name?" His head tilted in curiosity.

"L-Loren, sir," was his reply and Ion's intrigue grew.

"Why don't you come with me, Loren," he smiled as he took the tome back and tucked it under his arm, "I'd like to ask you a few things."

"But," his eyes darted down the corridor, down towards the library, Ion noticed, "the Commandant wanted me to retrieve-"

"I'll take care of that," he smiled assuringly, "I'll explain what happened when he asks."

Loren nodded slowly then bowed his head, "Lead the way, then, Fon Master." Ion's smile widened.

"Please, call me Ion," he requested and continued making his way to his rooms. He wondered what else was hiding in the depths of Daath.

_\---_

_Let your voice ring clear..._


	5. String Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _In another time, we would be as one. In another place, our lives would've only just begun._

It was a very curious situation he found himself in, Ion had to admit. He certainly hadn't expected to come across such an anomaly at any point in his life but considering the similarities between Luke's life and his own, he guessed another point could be added to put them closer together. He sighed thoughtfully, though really, if he  _had_ expected to hear something of this nature, he figured it would be in passing. Not nearly knocking him over. He looked over his shoulder at Loren as he opened the door to his rooms. Loren stared back in confusion and some apprehension. He smiled reassuringly though it didn't seem to ease him any.

"Don't worry so much," he told him as he stepped inside, "I'm not going to punish you or anything. It was an honest accident."

"Then, why," Loren slowly stepped in after him and closed the door, "did we come all the way up here?"

"I needed to come up here anyway," Ion gave a light shrug as he set the tome on his desk. "Now," he approached Loren who tensed as he drew closer, "I happened to know of two people that share your features." Loren tensed even further, "I must admit, meeting you is a bit of a surprise; never would I have expected to see someone like you running around, especially here."

Ion tilted his head, meeting nervous green eyes, "Should I be expecting another?" At that, Loren looked away, his hands clenched and jaw tight in a familiar stance of stubborn silence. Ion backed off a bit, moving to stand near his desk.

"I'm not mad," he clarified, "just curious. I was under the impression there was only one success."

"I wouldn't call myself a success," Loren blurted, his eyes darting to Ion for only a moment, "I was imperfect. I couldn't do what was required. I couldn't…" There was a lull as he hesitated and Ion thought.

"A hyperresonance," he offered softly. Loren nodded.

"I was cast off to die like the others before me," he continued, "and from what I can tell, there were no others after me. I was the last."

Ion nodded as he sat in one of the chairs before his desk, "How did you get to be here, then?" Loren didn't answer. He just bowed his head, his lips thinning as his hands curled into fists again. "It's alright if you don't want to tell me," Ion told him as he leaned back and pulled the tome from his desk, opening it to the index. He didn't look as Loren sighed.

"My apologies, Fon Master," Loren bowed slightly, "it's just… My reasons are my own."

"I believe I told you to call me Ion," he smiled as Loren blinked in surprise.

"S-sir?"

"None of that," Ion shook his head as he turned to a specific page of the book.

Loren took a step forward, "Sir, I don't-" he shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand. How did you know?"

Ion paused in his reading and looked at Loren with careful consideration. "Loren, can I trust you?" he asked and Loren nodded almost automatically.

"Yes, sir, I believe so," he replied. Ion nodded in return.

"Then, I'd like you to do something for me," he started as he grabbed a scrap piece of paper and slipped it between the pages. They might find that bit interesting. "There's a certain group of people that have been helping me with a rather important task and I need someone to deliver something to them." He stood and stepped closer, holding the book to his chest, "Loren, I want you to travel with them. Help them where they need it and let them help you."

Loren frowned, "Sir-"

"Ion."

"Ion," Loren corrected with a sigh, "I don't think I'm in need of any help, honestly."

"You're here for a reason," Ion stated, "one that I believe these people can help you with even if you don't think so." Loren looked at him skeptically. Ion offered him a soft smile, "Just give them a chance. They might surprise you."

Loren sighed again and nodded, "When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow?" Ion suggested, moving to sit behind his desk, "I'm sure you have some things you'd like to clear up."

"Tomorrow is fine," Loren agreed, "will that be all?"

"Just one more. An answer to your earlier question," Ion smiled at the wariness in his eyes, "I knew because I knew what to look for. I have some experience with your situation."

Loren swallowed, "I see."

"Go on," Ion waved to the door, "I'll see you in the morning."

\---

_"We'll find you."_

_They echoed._

_Dim voices brushed against him._

_"We're searching."_

_He trembled._

_"We know you can hear us."_

_Echoes surrounded him. His breath shuddered._

_"We'll find you."_

\---

Loren woke up the next day earlier than he wanted to. The sun was making its way over the rooftops by the time he reached a floor with windows and he briefly questioned himself on why he hadn't just gone back to sleep for another hour. The Fon Master probably wouldn't have minded. He hitched his pack higher on his shoulder. Maybe he was actually excited to be getting out of the city for once. Though, he mused with a wry frown, it certainly didn't feel like it. His head hurt. He made a note to get a coffee from a cafe on his way out. Yes, that was exactly what he needed.

He paused at the glyph room, standing at the edge and staring up between the crossing walkways to where the Fon Master's glyph would land. Had he already come down? He didn't know his sleeping habits; would he have gotten up around the time he did or was he just waking now? Loren looked at the door to the main hall for a moment then looked back towards the ceiling. He really didn't want to walk up anymore stairs.

Decision made, he went for the door, resolving to wait by the main doors and possibly check that he had everything he needed.

So he waited. It only took 15 minutes for the Fon Master to come down from his tower which he spent not rooting through his bag and double checking but staring into a dark corner trying to get his headache to subside. He jumped when the Fon Master appeared at his elbow, frowning at the ever present smile on the young leader's face.

"Fon Master," he greeted with a nod and he received a huff as the smile turned into a disapproving frown.

"Ion, Loren," the Fon Master corrected then sighed when Loren did nothing more than blink. "Here's what I want you bring them," he relented as he held out the tome and pulled an envelope from his pocket, "You're to give it to Jade Curtiss along with this letter."

Loren took both of them, giving a cursory glance over the envelope before taking a good look at the book. He raised a brow at the title, "Fon Ma- Ion?" he looked up into a glare and quickly corrected himself.

"Jade will explain everything better than I can," Ion told him, "trust me."

"Alright," Loren sighed and pulled his bag around to slip the book and letter inside. "How many people are there, anyway? I need to know what to look for."

"Six - no, five," Loren frowned in confusion as Ion sighed. "Sorry, one of their group went missing yesterday and I'm trying to work out where they went," he explained though Loren still felt slightly confused. "Anyway, never mind that. You don't need to concern yourself with it."

"If you're sure," Loren nodded as he straightened his pack.

"I'm sure," Ion waved the topic away, "They should be reaching Baticul sometime soon so you'd better go if you want to get there by tonight. I can't promise, however, that they'll still be there by then. I have the feeling that something may happen."

"Alright," Loren nodded and bowed, "I'll await your message if that's the case."

"Thank you," Ion nodded.

"It's no problem, Fon Master," Loren smiled as he turned away, chuckling at the sigh.

"Ion!" the Fon Master called after him as he stepped out the door.

He shook his head and started down the steps, heading straight for the nearest cafe. Soon, he had his coffee in hand as he made for the carriages, one of which would be taking him to the port.

He didn't reach Baticul until nightfall and, true to Ion's prediction, he learned that Jade Curtiss and his group were no longer in Baticul. Which was unfortunate. So he resigned himself to a night at the Inn and waiting an unknown amount of time for the Fon Master to report on a location. He hoped it wouldn't take too long. He didn't fancy an extended stay in the capital. There was always the chance that he could be recognized.

So he ordered a room at the Inn and settled in for a long night. And perhaps a look at the book Ion had tasked him with. It wasn't like he wouldn't find out, he reasoned, the Fon Master wanted him to stay with Jade.

He dropped his hat on the nightstand and sat on the bed, pulling the tome out before setting the bag on the floor. He eyed the slips of paper that stuck out between the pages, figuring they were what Ion wanted Jade to look at. He frowned. Why would the Fon Master be sending such a text out into the world? He was pretty sure this particular one was forbidden. He turned it over and read the title again, trying to remember where he'd seen it before. His frown deepened as he dug through his pockets, searching for his last missive from the Commandant.

The paper was a bit crumpled but the message was clear as he laid it out against the cover. He jaw tightened and his eyes closed as he tilted his head towards the ceiling. Of course. Against the Commandant's orders, he would've burned it. Anything to hinder the man that had spurned him. And in turn, the Fon Master had handed it to him in full confidence that it would safely get to where he wanted it. It left him conflicted. His brow twitched. His headache was back.

There was a knock on the door and he glared at the ceiling. He put the book face down as he got up, turning it so the spine faced the wall then answered the door. He wasn't prepared for the woman that waited on the other side, particularly when she seemed to purr at the sight of him.

"Isn't this a sight to behold," she said with a predatory smile, "I wonder if Master Asch knows about you."

Loren stiffened as the woman pushed into the room, taking his hand from the door as she closed it then led him away. "How-"

"Don't take me for a fool, I know what to look for." She left him in the middle of the room and went to the nightstand, "A couple reports of a man wearing Master Asch's face helped, especially since he mysteriously disappeared yesterday." She picked up the tome and the missive under it, ignoring Loren's protests as he rushed over.

"What are you doing? Who are you?" he demanded as he took the tome from her hands and held it out of her reach. Her smile turned sultry as she looked at him.

"Have you heard of the Dark Wings?"

He couldn't help the breath of air that forced its way into his lungs.

The smile widened as he fought the urge to back away. "So you have," she breathed and leaned closer, "then I'll have you know," her voice dropped to a whisper, "my hands are everywhere." Then she was twisting around him and the book taken from him grasp. He gaped at her as she stood tauntingly in the middle of the room. "Noir," she introduced, "Leader of the Dark Wings. We lend our services to those willing to pay."

"And what counts as pay?" Loren bit out.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Why?" Her head tilted coyly as her eyes scanned over him, "Are you willing to pay?" His expression turned sour and she laughed. "It's nothing like that," she waved, "though, I wouldn't deny if you were to offer." Loren sputtered and she smirked before thumbing through the book.

"Hey!"

"Interesting piece of work you've got here," she apprised, stepping away as he tried to take it back, "it would be a shame if it fell into the wrong hands. Something tells me this is very important."

"The Fon Master tasked me with delivering it."

"Did he now?" She held up the note as she dodged another attempt, "Was it to this man, perhaps? It seems like he wants it very bad."

A flash of anger crossed his face, "No."

"Then maybe is was to a certain group that seems to be missing a member," Noir mused, eyes glittering in satisfaction when he faltered. "You're very much like your brother," she told him, "very telling."

He glared, "I don't have a brother."

Noir hummed and closed the book with a snap, "Perhaps. What's your name, boy?"

Loren's brow furrowed at the sudden question, "What?"

"Your name," Noir repeated, "you know mine yet I don't know yours. Very rude, I must say."

He flushed in embarrassment, "Loren."

"No last name?" He didn't get to shake his head before she was talking again, "No, I don't suppose you would. No matter," she pressed the book into his chest and he grabbed it before it could fall, "You'll be wanting to go to Sheridan, Loren and if you're quick you might catch the last ferry out for the night."

There was a moment to comprehend before his eyes grew wide and he rushed to grab his bag and run out the door. Noir stared after him in amusement, crossing her arms as her eyes drifted to the nightstand. She had a feeling he wouldn't be returning for his hat. She fiddled with the note in her hand, smirking as an idea came to mind. Belkend, huh?

 

\---

They reached Sheridan just as the sun was setting and Anise ran off murmuring about telling Ion. The others paid her no mind, setting a straight course for the Inn so they could sleep off the events of the day. Noelle broke off just inside the city gates, aiming to sleep in her own bed.

"Come by the Meeting Hall first thing," she told them, "my grandparents might be able to help you think of what to do next."

"Sure thing," Guy smiled wearily, "anything might help at this point."

Noelle smiled back then to the group as a whole, "I'll see you in the morning, then. And I hope you'll feel better when you wake, Natalia, a good night's rest usually helps."

"Thank you," was the soft reply and Noelle nodded.

"Good night," she waved and started towards home, a chorus of 'good night's following her.

There was a moment where they continued to stand in the middle of the street before Jade broke the silence. "As lovely as the night is, I'd prefer to be in a bed right now," he stated as he turned away. There was a low sigh from Guy as the rest of the group fell in behind him. Jade eyed him over his shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. He survived tougher situations before."

"Did he really? Jade, if we hadn't stopped him-"

"Guy." His mouth clicked shut, eyes darting to Tear who was staring at the ground. "Not now," she shook her head, "please."

He grit his teeth as he bowed his head. Jade's lips thinned as he stared ahead.

"Sorry."

_\---_

_Heat._

_He reached for it. Warmth..._

_Surrounding, caressing, embracing._

_He breathed it and sighed._

_Soothing, calming, comforting._

_It filled him. Consumed him._

_He ached and it grew. Choking and burning._

_He cried._

_\---_

Morning came quickly though Guy was somewhat embarrassed to find that he was the last to wake, even if it was still early. The Innkeeper had told him as he left his room. So he made his way to the Meeting Hall, trying not to think about the past few days. Unfortunately, it was a plight doomed to fail; trying not to think of it made the topic that much harder to get rid of.

"Excuse me."

Maybe talking to someone would help. He sighed and looked to the person calling for his attention then froze.

"Hey," they continued talking as if they hadn't noticed Guy's surprise, "I'm looking for someone named Jade Curtiss. You wouldn't happen to know of him, would you?"

Red hair even shorter than Luke's and green eyes that watched him with tired annoyance. Guy released a shaky breath, "You, who are you?"

His annoyance became more pronounced, "Loren. Look if you can't help then I'll be just going."

"No!" Guy grabbed his wrist before he could even take a step away, "No, I know where Jade is. It's just- You-" He stopped at Loren's unimpressed expression. "Never mind, come with me."

Loren sighed as he was practically dragged away, staying silent as he was led back around the corner and into the large warehouse-like building.

"Guy, how nice of you to join us. Who's that you've got there?"

"Someone who nearly gave me a heart attack," Guy pulled him forward and nudged him towards the steps. Loren glared as those around the table cried out and stood up.

"My, this is rather unexpected," Loren looked at the man that watched him as he climbed the steps.

"Are you Jade?" he asked, pulling his bag off to set it on the table. The blond passed by his left in order to sit as he took out the book and the letter when he received a nod, "Ion told me to bring this to you."

"I see. I don't suppose there's a reason he asked you in particular to come," Jade stated as he took them out of his hands. Loren shrugged.

"Might be for the same reason everyone's looking at me like I'm a miracle," he offered dryly then looked to the women as they flushed and sat back down, "I'm guessing Luke is your missing companion."

"How ever did you guess?" Jade's voice screamed sarcasm as he opened the letter to read first.

"Yeah!" The small brunette burst out of her seat, "And how did you get here so quickly, too? I only sent a message to Ion last night!"

Loren raised a brow at her, "I followed you to Baticul yesterday though I arrived long after you all had already left. A certain member of the Dark Wings tipped me off to where you'd gone." He shook his head and pulled a chair out for himself, "Before we go into anything else, can I know who everyone is? I'm Loren."

"Lauren? Isn't that a girl's name?" Loren scowled at the girl.

"L-O-R-E-N," he spelled, "Loren, get it right."

"Geez, touchy," she grumbled and dropped into her seat, "Anise."

"I'm Tear," the woman to her left introduced, "and this is Natalia, Guy, and Jade." Loren looked at each one as they nodded, committing their faces to memory.

"Fantastic," he muttered, "does anyone have any coffee? The cafe at the port wasn't open when I left."

"I'm sure someone can find some for you somewhere," Jade spoke as he folded the letter and handed it over to Guy, "in the meantime, Guy can explain what it is we've been up to since Ion seems to want to include you."

Guy groaned as he looked over the letter, "Why is it always me?" Then he straightened as he read a certain line, "Hey, no, it says for you to explain!"

"Ah, but see," Jade smiled, "I'm going to be reading this very interesting text he sent. If I'm not mistaken, it's one that was forbidden by the Order." Guy sighed as Anise perked up.

"Forbidden? Those are the ones the Order designated as harmful and gathered up, right?"

Jade nodded, "And this one is very old at that. Apologize to Iemon and the others for me," he said as he stood, "I think I'm going to spend the day reading this instead."

"Sure thing," Anise nodded as Jade left the building to return to the Inn.

"Right then, first things first," Guy started, having resigned to his fate of the group storyteller once again, "the truth about the fall of Akzeriuth."

Loren internally groaned. It looked as if he wasn't going to get his coffee.

It was about half way through the explanation and shortly after Iemon and the rest came in when Anise noticed something odd and strangely familiar about Loren. It was in the slight drooping of his shoulders and the faint sheen of sweat on his brow. It was in the slightly heavier breaths that he took and the minute tremble in his fingers as he gripped the coffee mug Tear had given him when she remembered. She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she pinpointed other symptoms that no one else seemed to be seeing.

"Loren, are you sick?" She asked, not really caring that she had interrupted Guy.

"What?" was the prominent word in the various sounds of confusion around the table but she didn't let it distract her. Even when Loren shook his head at her.

"Don't lie to me," she demanded as she stood, "you're sick, I can see it! You look just like Ion does when he over-exerts himself." Though she couldn't quite figure out how Loren managed to do that just by sitting.

"Anise, really," Loren assured, "I'm not sick. I feel no different than I usually do." Generally after he'd been outside for an extended period of time but he didn't really want to tell them that.

"Well, before you didn't look like you would fall over if you stood up too fast," she countered and she could see everyone around her start to take a closer look at him.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?" he complained as he leaned back and held the mug to his chest.

"She's right," Tear added, "Now that I'm actually looking, it seems obvious." Loren sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine," he insisted, "can we let Guy finish?"

"I don't know," Natalia spoke up for the first time since he got there, "you look like you could use a rest."

"Everyone could use a rest," he retorted under his breath to raised eyebrows. "Listen," he pinned Anise with a stare, "whatever you think is wrong will likely go away within the hour, alright?" At least he hoped it would. He cursed his body's inability to regulate itself.

Anise reluctantly agreed and returned to her seat. "I'll be watching," she promised.

"You do that," Loren nodded and gestured for Guy to continue.

It didn't go away within the hour and since he refused to have someone point it out to him, Loren retreated to the bathroom right after Guy finished talking. Anise's eyes followed his back until the door closed and locked behind him.

"It got worse," she told the others around her and Tear nodded.

"He got really pale there, right at the end. Obviously, he's used to whatever this is but I don't think he expected it to be this bad," she pointed out, "I wish he'd let us help."

"He's not Luke," Guy mentioned, "I highly doubt that he'll appreciate it if we fussed over him like he was."

"Replicas," Iemon muttered, "nasty business."

Tamara clicked her tongue, "It's not the boy's fault."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's a nasty business. I'll bet my right arm that it has something to do with his illness," he offered, waving his arm for emphasis.

"I don't think we need to go that far."

"If Jade were here, he could probably tell us," Anise huffed.

"Ask him when he gets back," Guy said, "that book shouldn't take him all day."

She hummed and turned to Natalia who was watching the bathroom door. She stood up to lean over her shoulder. "Keep staring and you'll eventually be able to see through it," she spoke into her ear then dodged the hand that flew up in reflex with a giggle.

"It's nothing like that!" the princess snapped with a glare, "it's just- There's something wrong."

"Yeah, the guy's sick and too stubborn to let us help."

"No," Natalia shook her head, "not that. I expected to hear water running but it's been silent since he went in." As if on cue, there was a heavy thud against the door.

\---

_Darling child of sound..._


	6. Self vs. Self

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If I struggle a lifetime, what would my body be?_

Coffee. Where was the fucking coffee? That was the first coherent thought to cross Loren’s mind upon waking up. That and a heavy resignation towards passing out. Again. He sighed and sat up while shoving aside the thick blankets Sheridan had no business having. He didn’t care if it got really cold at night; he didn’t need two comforters and a quilt. He did pull the blankets back into place once he’d gotten up, however, because there was no excuse for leaving behind a messy bed.

That done and with his clothes brushed into alignment, Loren meandered out of the inn and in the general direction of coffee. He found a small café tucked into a corner around the bend and he counted his lucky stars as he ordered the largest size they had. While the caffeine did little to suppress his fatigue in the long run, it did allow him to last longer than three hours outdoors. He didn’t care if it meant sleeping for insane hours as a result. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he followed the Fon Master’s plan, though.

Loren stepped into the meeting hall with a sigh, climbed the small flight of stairs, and dropped into the nearest chair. No one else was there, strangely enough, but there was a tiny little creature that was content to roll itself along the length of the table. At least, until it noticed him.

“You’re awake!” it squeaked at him and he nearly choked on his mouthful of extra sweet coffee.

“You talk! Why do you talk?!” he sputtered after forcing himself to swallow, “Cheagles aren’t supposed to talk!”

“I’m Mieu!” it introduced, ignoring his question altogether, “Luke’s my master. He helped my tribe and I got this ring so I could go with him! It helps me do lots of things.” Alright, so it didn’t ignore him. He put ‘talking’ under the list of ‘things this cheagle could do’ and left it at that. He also got the sense there was a lot missing from the story but he decided not to push it.

“Right, talking cheagle with the fancy ring, got it,” he said instead then took a long drink from his cup. It didn’t last as long as he’d have liked, though, ‘cause that Anise kid came charging into the building while shouting his name at the top of her lungs and, really, did he _have_ to travel with these people?

“Anise,” Jade’s smooth and slightly admonishing tone managed to curb the stream of reprimands and concerns that Loren hadn’t bothered to listen to as the girl turned to scowl at the colonel. He smiled in response and she huffed. Then he looked to Loren as he stared balefully at them over the rim of his cup.

“Did you have a nice nap?” Jade asked and Loren tensed, “it’s nearly dinner time, did you know? You’ve slept the whole day away it seems.” Yes, he did know it was almost dinner time. The setting sun was a very nice thing to wake up to; it meant no sun in a couple hours.

He didn’t say that though. No, he just looked away and stared at the table instead.

“Loren!” Anise smacked the table then poked a finger in his face, “if you’re going to be traveling with us, you need to tell us when you need a break. None of this…” her arm flailed towards the bathroom door as she struggled to find the right words, “silence and forcing yourself to move!”

Loren grit his teeth and leaned away from her hand. “I apologize for troubling you,” he told her as he let his cup rest on the table, “in truth, I am not accustomed to being out of doors. My travels from Daath to Baticul to Sheridan drained me further than I had expected and I’m sorry that you had to deal with the repercussions of my oversight.” What the _hell_ was he doing?

“Geez, no need to get all formal,” Anise crossed her arms, “just promise you won’t do it again. We don’t need you hiding things from us, too.” Her expression faltered for a moment and Loren rose a brow slightly in question though the girl seemed disinclined to answer. He looked away to stare at the opposite wall as he brought his cup to his lips and took a drink. Then he nodded.

Jade walked by with a chuckle and a pat to the top of Anise’s head. “Glad to see you’ve cleared that up,” he stated then sat in the chair he’d occupied that morning and set Ion’s tome down in front of him. “Now, it sounds like you have quite the predicament there, Loren,” the man peered at him over his glasses.

Loren didn’t have any time to do more than blink before Jade was dismissing the topic. “You can tell me all about it later,” he said as he laced his fingers on the table, “the girls will be back with food in a bit. Anise, can I send you off to reclaim Guy from the warehouse? Take Mieu with you.”

“Yessir,” the girl saluted then scooped the cheagle off the table and bounced out of the building. Loren sighed, absently tapping the side of his cup as he slouched in his chair. There was a moment of silence where he breathed and Jade stared before it was broken by the colonel.

“You are not complete.” Or not. Of course the man would make sure they were alone.

Loren stared at the ceiling and the fan that slowly rotated. “No.”

“Extreme fatigue due to outdoor exposure and a rather… disappointing disability. I’m not too far off the mark, am I?”

He closed his eyes. “No.”

“Yet, everything else is almost perfect. You were the closest they got without having to sacrifice. You had the basic knowledge, his mannerisms,” Jade paused. Loren watched him out of the corner of his eye. “You have his drive,” he finished and Loren swallowed, straightening up to drain the rest of his coffee.

“Drive means nothing when I don’t have the ability,” he muttered as he all but threw the paper cup on the table. He focused on it as it tipped over and rolled away and frowned when it curved back towards him.

“And yet, you still followed the same path. You both entered the Order to get close to the man who cursed you and both of you are waiting for the perfect time to end him.” Loren’s gaze snapped to Jade’s and the man stared evenly back.

“The Fon Master said you could help me,” he told him and Jade smiled.

“He is, for all his youth, amazingly perceptive,” his eyes gleamed in the dim light, “our goal is the death of Van. The death of Tear’s brother and the death of your creator. You come with us and you’ll have your revenge. All you need to do is stay truthful and rest when you’re _supposed_ to so you don’t end up holding us back.”

Loren breathed. He took in a long breath, held it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out. “You have a roundabout way of showing your concern,” he finally said. Jade said nothing and Loren sighed. “Fine.”

\---

Ion stared at the envelope on his desk and his name that was scrawled upon it in a hurried attempt to stay neat. The letters were obviously from Teodoro’s hand and while he knew Yulia City would be the first he’d get a response from; he honestly didn’t expect to receive it less than 24 hours after the initial note. Hope blossomed in his chest as he picked up the letter from the mail pile and he made quick work of the envelope to get at the words within.

It was short and to the point, obviously something written between the matters outlined in the letter itself. Ion’s eyes darted between three key phrases as his grip tightened on the paper. Flash of light, new Daathic seal, and a request for immediate assistance. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath and set the letter down. This was it. This was lead he was looking for. Now he just had to wait for the others to get back.

He stepped around his desk and slowly sat in his chair. A sheet of paper was pulled in front of him then his quill taken from the inkwell. A confirmation with a short explanation for delay was written then he sat back and waved the feather over the ink for it to dry. The quill was dropped back in the well and the page pushed a few inches away before he crossed his arms on the wood and let his head rest on top.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it in an effort to get the urgency that flowed through him to dissipate. It would do him no good to get himself worked up. He straightened with another deep breath and looked at the letter. Another one to Jade would be ideal but he highly doubted the party was still in Baticul and he didn’t know where they would’ve gone afterwards. Unless...

He grabbed the rest of the letters from the inbox and shuffled through them. Yes, here we go. A quick scan revealed they had made it to Sheridan after nearly being arrested in Baticul. He wondered how far behind them Loren was and if he knew they were there. Perhaps a letter to him as well.

Decisions made, he pulled another sheet forward and got to writing. He sighed at the end of it, staring at the two new letters next to the first then glanced to his bedroom doorway and the dim light that casted through it. The sun had almost finished its decent. The letters would have to wait until morning. He hated waiting.

\---

Dinner was more rowdy than it needed to be with old people making lewd remarks and teenage girls collectively deciding to hound on the new guy and be the cause of said lewd remarks. Loren was decidedly unimpressed despite the fried chicken he had been presented with. If anything, he figured it was a pre-emptive measure to make sure he didn’t get too mad at them. He refused to admit that it had worked and half cursed the shared trait that allowed them to make such a move. So what if they all liked chicken, it was damned delicious.

By the end of it, the girls had calmed down and Loren had relaxed somewhat on the silent treatment he had started part way through. Pots and pans were stacked on the cart to be taken back to the house and plates and silverware were cluttered in the sink off to the side. Only Loren still had his as he nibbled on the remaining strips of chicken.

“So, what do you have?” Anise burst as Natalia made her way back from the bathroom, “anything new?” She was watching the book as Jade thumbed through it, her impatience clear.

Jade hummed and nodded as he finally settled on a page, “It seems the cause of the Qliphoth’s liquefaction lies in the core.”

“The centre of the planet,” Natalia muttered as she sat, turning in her chair to face the colonel, “where memory particles form?”

“Yes. It should be at rest but it’s vibrating violently,” he tapped the page as if it would clarify his train of thought, “that’s likely the cause of the liquefaction.” Guy peered at the paragraph around Jade’s hand but found nothing that connected to the man’s deduction.

“So, why didn’t the people of Yulia City do something about the core shaking?” Tear asked as Guy leaned back, shaking his head in bewilderment. Loren frowned and dropped his chicken before shoving the plate away.

“Was it not in the Score?” he crossed his arms and leaned on the table, ignoring Tamara as she took the plate to the sink.

Jade shook his head, “No, but that wasn’t the main reason. The main reason was that the shaking is cause by the Planet Storm.” He focused on Tear and she straightened at the unexpected look, “The people of Yulia City likely didn’t have any idea that the Planet Storm would cause the core to vibrate and, in fact, it probably didn’t. But over a long period of time, distortions developed, and the core began to vibrate.”

“Even Dr. Southern-Cross didn’t predict the core’s vibration…?” Natalia’s head tilted as she brought her finger to her lips in thought.

“The only way to stop the shaking is to stop the Planet Storm,” Jade continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “but stopping the Planet Storm would drastically weaken both fontech and fonic artes. The passage rings supporting the Outer Lands would also stop completely.”

“Then there’s nothing we can do…” Everyone seemed to sag in their chairs at Anise’s words. Loren stifled a groan as he rubbed at his forehead.

A smirk touched at Jade’s lips, “Actually, we just need to stop the core’s vibrations while maintaining the Planet Storm.”

“We can do that?” Multiple people spoke at once and Loren didn’t bother trying to figure out who it was.

“This text contains some ideas,” Amusement glittered in the colonel’s eyes. Loren glared at him.

“But it was sealed away because it contradicts Yulia’s Score?” Tear guessed. A rather obvious guess, but a guess all the same.

“Correct,” Jade nodded and flipped to another page in the text, “all we can do is fix the liquefaction and lower the Outer Lands. Granted, we will need to reconstruct the fon machines from the text.” He looked at Tamara, Iemon and Aston out of the corner of his eye as he turned the book towards them, “That’s where you three come in. You all should be capable of something like this, yes?”

There was a clamour as the researchers hurried forward and Guy scrambled to get out of the line of fire. Exclamations about “Class I” and “Class M” were tossed out along with something about losses and wins and Loren had to sigh at their actions.

He waved his hand to get the blond’s attention, rolling his eyes as the man clearly tried not to laugh. He stood up and brushed himself off before straightening the chair he had knocked over in his rush to get out of Aston’s way. Then he settled next to Loren and leaned close to hear the redhead’s question.

“What’s the deal with... this?” Guy’s smile stretched into a grin and Loren tensed.

“The rivalry between Sheridan’s ‘Class M’ and Belkend’s ‘Class I’ is practically legendary to the people that know of them and with something of this calibre, there’s no chance that they’ll let the opportunity to get the one up pass them by,” he explained. Loren looked at him in disbelief and Guy shrugged.

“So, these two groups of old people will fight tooth and nail in order to get ahead?” Really? Did this really happen?

“It’s come to that in the past, yes.” Guy gave him a helpless smile as his eyes were drawn to the trio that had already begun to pull out pads of paper.

“Damn.” Guy chuckled and patted Loren on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. They’ll get the job done.”

Loren didn’t say anything to that.

“Alright!” Tamara clapped her hands together and the men silenced instantly. Loren blinked at the suddenness of it. “This is going to take a bit of fine tuning. We’ll need to measure the frequency of the core’s vibration before we do anything else.”

“How do we do that?” Mieu asked from his perch on Tear’s head.

“By inserting a measuring device through a passage ring into a Sephiroth Tree,” Jade answered, “which means we’ll need a Sephiroth that we haven’t lowered yet.” Loren frowned, trying to think of the ones that weren’t the first and last.

“Aside from the Radiation Gate and the Absorbtion gate, I don’t know of any others,” Natalia pointed out, verbalizing his own thoughts. Jade shook his head.

“I doubt they’ll be good for measurements as they’re the start and end points for the Planet Storm,” he explained.

“Shall we ask Grandfather in Yulia City?” Tear suggested and Anise straightened in her seat.

“We could ask Ion, too!” she added, “Plus, the Sephiroth with be closed with a Daathic seal so we’ll need to take him with us anyway.”

“True,” Natalia agreed as Tear nodded, “to Daath, then?”

“It sounds like a plan,” Guy stood with a stretch then scratched the back of his head, “also, it’s a bit of a stretch but he might have information on Luke, too.” Right, Luke. He’d almost forgotten about him.

Loren sighed and stood from his own seat, mirrored by the others around him. “Are we leaving tonight, then?”

“That would be best if you don’t mind, Noelle,” Jade decided with a look towards the young pilot.

“Not at all!” she straightened from where she was leaning against the wall and giving her family weary looks. A grin spread across her face, “Honestly, I’d rather not be here when their frenzy starts.”

“A wise choice,” Jade nodded then made for the exit. “Let’s be off, then. We have no time to lose if Guy is right and the Fon Master does have information for us. “

\---

_Singing… Soft. Soothing._

_Lov… …ng clear._

_…Who is singing?_

_Darling chi… …ue._

_Chi… Child? Drifting._

_Adored child of … …ee._

_I can’t hear…_

_\---_

Ion woke early the next day though not because he particularly wanted to. The knowledge that he needed to do something the next day kept waking him at odd hours of the night, most likely in an attempt to make sure he got as much done as he could. So he resigned himself to getting up at 5.30 in the morning and seeing what he could occupy himself with. After delivering the letters, of course.

Said missives were held loosely in one hand as he slowly descended the tower, knowing it wouldn’t make much of a difference if they left in five minutes or fifteen. His other hand lifted to cover a yawn, wishing he could’ve gotten more sleep. He blinked blearily at the elaborate walls and the ever-slanted ceiling between his fingers as he rubbed at his face. Maybe he could’ve lasted another hour in bed.

There was nothing for it, though. He had already reached the door at the bottom of the staircase. He was through the door and on the glyph in short order, sighing as he materialized on the ground floor and made his way to the main hall.

There were few people occupying the room when he entered, not that there were ever many to begin with, but the ones that were made the papers in his hand moot.

“Oh,” he gasped in slight surprise, looking at the letters before shrugging and smiling lightly at the situation and making his way forwards. Most of them were dead on their feet, a couple of them having decided to drop to the floor and lean against the wall.

“Wouldn’t the Inn make a better resting point than the floor of the front hall?” he greeted with a small laugh, giving the entire party a cursory glance for anything out of the ordinary. Guy was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and head bowed and clearly not paying attention to anything. Anise was on the floor some ways to his right and Natalia and Tear were trying their hardest to remain alert.

“Fon Master,” Jade nodded, the only one that seemed to have more energy than the rest of them combined, “Anise had suggested her family’s rooms instead. ‘Why waste gald when there’s already free beds’ was her reasoning.” He gesture to the brunette that had all but collapsed on the floor and was snoring faintly, “As you can see, she didn’t quite make it. At any rate, we were planning on meeting you later this morning after some of us had gotten some rest. I didn’t expect you to be up before the sun.”

“It’s not by choice,” Ion admitted with a tired smile, “nerves kept waking me through the night.”

“Nerves?” Jade echoed with a raised brow, “I’ll take that to mean you heard something, then.”

Ion hummed an affirmative and raised the letters to show the colonel, “I had actually written to you last night about it but it was too late to deliver.” He handed the one that was intended for the man over and slipped the others in his robes. “By the way, did you happen to meet a man named Loren?”

“Ah, we did indeed,” Jade answered as he broke the seal and scanned the words inside, “an interesting find you made there. How did you manage to come across him?”

“He quite literally ran into me, actually. I figured you might want to know about him.”

“An astute observation,” Jade agreed then gave him a sharp look. The letter was refolded and held up as a signal of a change in topic, “I want to see you resting before you take on this new seal.”

“I won’t object to that, Colonel,” Ion smiled, tilting his head slightly, “I’ll probably be sleeping again by mid morning now that you’re here.”

“It matters not if you sleep though that method is probably best. I’ll be making sure you don’t overtax yourself,” the man warned just as the sound of a door closing echoed loudly in the hall. The pair turned towards the noise as Guy was jerked from his doze and the women stood just a little bit straighter. Anise remained dead to the world.

“Loren,” Jade called to the man steadily making his way towards them, “I was starting to think you had gotten lost.”

“It’s been a long time since I last got lost down there,” the red head returned, giving the colonel a rather annoyed look before he looked to Ion. “Good morning, Fon Master,” he greeted only to receive a reprimanding stare from the other. He sighed and resisted rolling his eyes. “Good morning, Ion,” he amended.

“Good morning, Loren,” Ion accepted then eyed the top of his head, “I see you’ve misplaced a part of your uniform.”

Loren’s hand ran through his hair at the comment, “I believe I left it in Baticul. I was a bit distracted when I got there.” He shook his head let his hand fall, “Anyway, I thought we were meeting at the Tatlin’s quarters?”

“It seems Anise fell short,” Jade nodded to the girl, “if you would be so kind as to grab her, then we could all make our way up.” Loren gave him a flat stare to which he got a benign smile.

“I don’t know how the others put up with you,” he said finally before he turned and did as the colonel suggested. Anise grumbled as she was lifted but she quickly went back to snoring. Ion sent her a fond smile then turned to Tear and Natalia. The relief was evident on their faces, the pair clearly eager to be in a bed and they followed closely behind Jade and Loren.

“Guy,” Ion prompted, the blond the only one to not notice everyone else leaving. Guy jerked upright, immediately rubbing his face to wake himself further.

“Fon Master?” he spoke between his hands and Ion chuckled.

“The others are moving. I think you’ll find it better to sleep in a bed than against a wall,” he said and Guy gave his own laugh.

“Yes, thank you,” he nodded then stretched his arms over his head as he trailed after the rest of his party with Ion at his side.

\---

_Let your song sing true..._


	7. Firewall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They come to your dreams with allusion, they come to bring shape to your mind._

It was well passed noon before everyone was awake again and Loren had taken advantage of the time in Daath to retreat to the familiar air of his quarters. Others would call it stagnant but he called it livable. Whatever it was that permeated the rest of the building didn’t seem to make it down there.

He used the time to train, focusing on his artes instead of the meager blade work that he had managed to scrape together. For all that his original could wield both with frightening ability, he found the blade artes lacking. Better to focus on something he was actually good at.

“Negative Gate!” The first fonon ripped through the air, swirling under his target before engulfing the dummy in writhing shadows. He released a breath of air and let his arm drop slowly as the spell dissipated. The end of his staff hit the floor with a dull thud, the sound echoing lowly in the chamber.

“Impressive!” He turned, finding Ion standing in the open doorway to his room with his hands pressed together as if he were about to clap. He looked away without comment, taking in the dummy and the head that now rested on the floor. He sighed soundlessly.

“More impressive if I could do that with one arte,” he said, “I’ve been using him since last Remday.”

“I think even Jade would be hard pressed to break a dummy in one arte,” Ion countered as he crossed the room, “don’t discount yourself too much.”

Loren gave a non-committal hum, not believing him for a second. “Did you need something?”

“Jade wished to tell you they were getting ready to leave,” Ion reported, “he said, ‘make sure you’re ready for a trip into to the Qliphoth, it wouldn’t do to have you incapacitated at a crucial moment.’” Loren blinked then looked down at the Fon Master at his side.

“He sent you to deliver that?” He seriously doubted it though he didn’t doubt that the words came from Jade.

Ion shook his head, “He was going to send Anise originally but since I already knew where your rooms were, I offered to come instead,” he explained then gave him a curious look, “I have to ask, though. Why are you all the way down here when there are plenty of rooms higher up?”

“Ah,” Loren’s gaze drifted to the side and he ran his fingers though his bangs, “to be honest, it has to do with the air, I think. I find it easier to breathe down here than I do in the upper levels.”

Ion blinked in surprise, “Really? It didn’t look like you had an issue the other day.”

“It wouldn’t,” Loren started, “the difference is slight and it doesn’t begin to affect me until I’ve been up there for a few hours. Going outside, though, is worse and if what I hear about the Qliphoth is true than I’m almost dreading the trip. I’ll be drinking coffee by the bucket load.”

“Coffee?” Ion questioned and Loren shrugged.

“It seems to be the only thing that keeps me going when I’m traveling,” he offered then hooked his staff across his back as he gestured to the door, “anyway, let’s go before that man sends someone else down to find us.”

They reached the main level relatively quickly, catching Anise about halfway up. She grumbled and scolded the both of them even as Loren calmly turned her around and pushed her back the way she came.

“Loren!” Guy called when they arrived, arm raised in a wave. They were gathered beneath the pool of holy water, apparently in the midst of a discussion.

“Ion said we were leaving soon?” he prompted as he approached and Tear nodded from next to Jade.

“We were just discussing what we were going to do after Yulia City,” she said, “the Fon Master confirmed the location of a passage ring in Tataroo Valley.”

“Really?” Loren looked at the green haired youth who smiled and nodded.

“Yes,” Jade pushed his glassed further up his nose, “we’ll be heading there after getting the measuring device from Sheridan if this lead falls through. To be honest, I’m reluctant to put much hope in it.”

“Jade!” Natalia exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth as she stared at him in disbelief.

“Come on, do you really have to be like that?” Guy sighed and the man shrugged in a helpless manner.

“Asch and Luke disappeared in such a way that it’s nearly impossible to tell where they’ve gone. Actually, I’m tempted to say that it was a hyperresonance that took them and if that’s the case, there’s no way for us to trace where it went. Especially now that it’s been so long,” he explained then smoothly placed his hands in his pockets. “At any rate,” he continued, “while Teodoro’s letter has substantial evidence, keep in mind that it might not be what we’re looking for.”

The group was quiet for a moment as they took it in before Natalia shook her head and looked at Jade with determination.

“No, I won’t. Luke and Asch, they’re down there. I refuse to believe they’ve been taken somewhere we can’t reach. I’m not going to lose them!” She stood tall, her arms at her sides in an unspoken challenge.

Jade considered her then bowed his head in a single nod, “I admire your resolve. Very well, let’s go to Yulia City and find our wayward companions.”

\---

At some point, Asch wasn’t sure when, Luke had gotten lost between the bathroom and the dining table. He only noticed when the idiot still wasn’t back by the time the food was done. The water wasn’t running, that much he could tell and the only other sound he could hear was slowly cooling stove. His frown deepened as he resisted slamming the plates on the table. Then he was stepping down the hall and all but throwing the bathroom door open. A bathroom that was suspiciously empty aside from the old and dirty bandages piled in front of the sink and the mirror above it.

‘Where the hell are you?’ What he received could only be called a flinch, a flash of surprise laced with fear crossing the back of his mind. His grip tightened on the doorknob before he released it.

He went to the bedroom next, a quick glance telling him that he was in neither of the beds so he marched to the closet and threw the door open wide. Luke stared up at him with wide eyes, curled as far into the back corner as he could go and clutching one of his wrists as if it were his last line of hope.

Suspicion wormed its way into his chest.

“What did you do?” his jaw was tight as he spoke and he tried to keep his voice low. Luke tensed and pressed harder into his corner. He was shaking his head, his mouth open as if he were about to speak before it clicked shut and he swallowed hard. Asch crouched on his toes.

“What did you do?” he repeated slowly, eyeing the marks that littered the other’s skin. A few would have to be re-bandaged. Luke’s eyes skirted to the side, the hand around his wrist twisting. His eyes narrowed at the twinge of pain that passed through.

“N-nothing,” the youth stuttered, “I didn’t do anything.” Asch watched him, the suspicion in his chest growing. He held out his hand.

“Show me your wrist.” The grip Luke had on it tightened, the white in his knuckles becoming visible in the shadows of the room. Asch raised a brow. “If you’ve done nothing, then there’s nothing to hide,” he urged, reaching his hand out further.

Luke looked at it for barely a moment before he was staring at Asch’s face, confusion furrowing his brow as he began to relax. “You… why?”

‘I thought you hated me.’

His lips thinned as he caught the errant thought. “At this point, it doesn’t matter if I hate you or not,” he said, ignoring the look of shock, “what matters is that you show me your wrist so I know what to tell your little group of friends when we get out of here. I’m not that eager to gain their ire.”

Luke looked away again but the fingers around his wrist loosened and the arm pulled away moments later. Asch took it before it could be taken back, pulling and tugging Luke to his feet and out of the closet where he could get to a light and see better. At least he had the decency to put on pants.

Luke was deposited on the bed and the lamp switched on in short order, adding to the small amount of light coming from the only window. He didn’t even bother with the chair, continuing to stand as he pulled Luke’s arm into the light to assess the damage. There was a small intake of breath as relief flooded through him and his grip relaxed. Anything that was there old news.

“You…” Asch looked up, resisting the urge to back away from the look he was given.

“Don’t even,” he warned, reaching behind him to take a roll of bandages from the desk drawer, “we are going to get some of this covered then you’re going to finish getting dressed before we eat.” Luke frowned and Asch already knew what he was going to say. “I don’t care if you think you’re not hungry,” he said before Luke could even open his mouth, “you haven’t had anything since we got here, you’re eating.”

“How do you keep doing that?” Luke burst, pulling his hand away clutch at the sheets as he leaned away from Asch’s gaze, “How do you know what I’m going to say?” Asch’s stare turned flat.

“I was starting to believe you weren’t that much of an idiot,” he said lowly, “think about the last few minutes and you might figure it out.” Luke scowled and he could feel the indignation coursing through him. With a raised brow, he hooked the chair behind him with his foot and finally sat down.

‘Hand.’

Luke jumped, the scowl dropping off his face to stare blankly at Asch. “My head doesn’t hurt…” he said a few moments later and Asch had to visibly stop himself from making it hurt.

“That’s what you took away from that?” he exclaimed then took a deep breath while Luke continued to watch him. “Whatever,” he shook his head, “give me your damned hand so we can get this over with.” Luke huffed, his cheeks puffing as he considered doing the exact opposite. Asch didn’t give him the chance.

“Don’t forget, I know what you’re thinking,” he reminded as he snatched his wrist and used it to make him sit straighter, “now sit still while I do this, I don’t want to have to knock you out.”

“Why don’t you do that anyway? It’s clear you want to,” Luke grumbled and Asch pressed his thumb into one of the smaller bruises on his arm. He couldn’t stop the cringe and he twisted it in an attempt to get him to stop.

“Because you need to eat, or did you not understand that the first time I said it? Stop acting like a petulant child and cooperate!” He eased on the pressure as soon as Luke stopped resisting, though the idiot refused to look at him.

He worked in silence after that, wrapping the worst of the marks that covered his hands and arms. He paused at his shoulders, considering the option of letting the air at the wounds there.

“Are you done?” Luke asked, pulling off a spectacular pout and Asch rolled his eyes.

“For now,” he replied and re-rolled the short length he had pulled, “we’ll cover your back when you sleep. It should be fine ‘til then.”

“My back?” Luke repeated as Asch stood, twisting as he tried to look over his shoulder, “Why my back? It feels fine.” Asch snorted as he shoved the chair aside and set the roll on the desk. He watched as Luke got to his feet to try and see better. Without a word, his hand reached out and smacked one of the larger lesions near his spine.

Luke yelped, his hands immediately trying to cover it without much luck as he skittered away, “What’d you do that for!”

“To prove a point. Now put a shirt on, we’re eating.”

\--- 

It was with trepidation that Loren stared out at the gloom that was the Qliphoth. He had quickly lost sight of the water that cascaded from the hole in the ocean as Noelle expertly navigated the thick clouds and the occasional bolt of lightning. Briefly, he wondered how they managed to find anything the first time they were down there.

“It’s quite the difference, isn’t it?” Tear spoke from beside him. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and she smiled as she met his gaze. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms in an attempt to hide his discomfort.

“I think you’re making it out to be a smaller deal than it is,” he said and Tear laughed lightly.

“Yes, I can see what you mean,” she turned her attention the scene outside and smiled wistfully, “I was amazed the first time I came to the Outer Lands. It was so clear and there was so much life I almost couldn’t believe it.” She paused and Loren let her take the moment to dwell in her memories.

“I grew up with stories of its beauty and with the shadows of the Qliphoth being the only thing I knew, everything about the Outer Lands seemed like a fairy tale,” she took a deep breath then shook her head, “listen to me, waxing poetic about a place you’ve known your whole life, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Loren said and turned his own attention to the world outside, “it’s refreshing, I think, to have an outsider’s perspective on something I’m always looking at. You tend to forget to actually look at the world when it seemingly never changes. “

Tear stared at him in slight surprise, not expecting the level of insight that he presented. Her head tilted as she considered him, wondering just how different he was compared to Luke or even Asch. Surely, he couldn’t be that much different but she doubted either of them would come out and say something like he just did.

Maybe it was just their experiences showing in the way they acted around everyone else. Asch, undoubtedly, would keep to himself and shut out any attempt at conversation; a trained reaction to never show any weakness and, by extension, to never give anyone the chance to get close. Luke was still learning. For all his enthusiasm, he would remain clueless when faced with such a conversation.

“What?” Tear blinked, straightening in her seat as Loren looked at her with a raised brow.

“I’m sorry,” she leaned away as his look became more questioning, “I just got lost in thought. I didn’t mean to stare.” Loren made a sound, one that spoke of his skepticism as he looked away again.

“Whatever.” Though maybe they weren’t so different after all.

She smiled looked forward as the lights of the city came into view. Her stomach twisted as an odd tightness formed in her chest. She hoped, desperately hoped that they would find Luke there and in a better condition than when he’d left. She clutched at her dress then took a deep breath to compose herself. It wouldn’t do to fall apart now.

Her grandfather was waiting for them when they landed, somehow looking excited despite the ever present frown.

“Come,” he beckoned as soon as they were in range, not giving them the chance to talk, “this way.” They each exchanged glances but followed without a word, hurrying after Teodoro’s surprisingly quick pace.

He led them to a gated stairway off to the side of the main building, the previously locked gate wide open as researchers routinely scaled the steps.

“Down here?” Tear wondered, leaning over the railing to peer into the darkness. Small lights dotted the path the researchers were using but they did nothing to illuminate the surroundings.

“How do you see?” Anise questioned as a man passed them with nothing but a stack of files. He disappeared quickly into the shadows with the flicker of the lights being the only thing to tell his progress.

“Just follow the lights,” Teodoro said, “the path has already been cleared and there’s enough light at the end of it, there’s no need to bring more.” Then he started down the stairs and left them to stare at his back.

“Well, watch your step, I suppose,” Guy suggested, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Loren snorted and moved forwards, wasting no time in descending the steps after the watcher. The rest followed his lead, some swallowing their hesitation as they moved.

At the end of it, they understood Teodoro’s statement about extra light not being needed. A doorway stood at the end of the light trail that gave off its own faint glow and stepping through it presented something they weren’t expecting to see.

“It’s a passage ring!” Natalia exclaimed, turning slowly on the spot to take in the familiar symbols and architecture. The room they had entered was large with an arched ceiling swooping above them and a floor far beneath their feet. The walkway had them close to the top of the room and as she approached the protective barrier, she noticed sloping paths that led to lower levels.

“Not quite,” Teodoro corrected and she looked over her shoulder at him for his explanation. “This place is built like those surrounding the rings but we’ve found no evidence of there ever being one here. In fact, this room is incapable of housing one due to its size and as far as we can tell, there are no others down here. Though, with the Daathic seal on the lowest level it’s hard to tell for sure.”

He paused then turned to Ion. “Fon Master,” he addressed and the boy nodded, “I have to admit, I was intrigued when your message arrived and described an event that coincided with the appearance of this structure. While I understand the reasons behind the omission of some things, I was hoping you could fill me in on why you wished for a prompt reply.”

The atmosphere in the group noticeably shifted as Ion cringed, “My apologies,” he offered as he stepped forward, “but discretion was absolutely necessary. Asch and Luke were taken by what we suspect to be a hyperresonance three days ago.”

“But,” Teodoro glanced up, scanning the group until his eyes fell upon Loren and the confusion was replaced by shock. “Oh dear,” he muttered as Loren frowned, “this is not good, not good at all. The Score must be very off track if you’re here.”

“Excuse me?” He blinked, bewildered at the old man’s comment. Teodoro straightened, shaking his head as he realized what he’d said.

“Nothing, nothing,” he waved, brushing his words aside though they lingered in their minds, “follow me, I’ll show you to the seal.”

So one by one, they trailed after him, each giving a look to Loren to which he shrugged simply because he didn’t know what else to do. What was he supposed to do after something like that? Sing?

“What was that all about?” Anise murmured as she stepped up beside him and he shook his head.

“I have no idea but from the sounds of it, I don’t think I’m supposed to be here.”

“Here? You mean with us?” She looked at him imploringly and he hesitated before shaking his head again.

“Alive,” he clarified, staring hard at the elder’s back, “I don’t think I’m supposed to be alive.”

The girl made a rather crude noise and Loren couldn’t stop the look he sent her. “Don’t look at me like that,” she scowled once she saw it, “I have every right to disregard what you just said. By all rights, Luke shouldn’t be alive either yet he is and so are you and just like him, I don’t want to hear you speaking that way again.”

“I’m… sorry?”

“That’s right!” Anise nodded fiercely, her hair bouncing around her ears at the force of it. But then her scowl turned into a troubled frown as she looked towards the floor and Loren found himself placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.

“Anise?” he leaned forward as much as he could while walking in an attempt to see her face and she took a deep breath. She raised her head, shaking her bangs out of her eyes as she did.

“Sorry,” she apologized even though she didn’t need to, “it’s just… I was thinking that… if we had actually let Luke talk about it instead of always telling him not to then maybe… maybe he wouldn’t have…” She swallowed thickly before taking another deep breath, this one shakier than the last and he realized she was trying not to cry.

“Anise,” he said softly, unsure of how to continue. Then Jade was at her other side, taking her hand gently in his own and pulling her away.

“That’s enough, I think,” he muttered, “this is no place to be getting emotional.” His voice was soft despite his words.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice cracked and her hand lifted to wipe at her face.

“Save that for when we find him, hm?” Loren watched them as Anise nodded and sniffed loudly, something curling and tightening in his chest as she clearly took comfort in Jade’s words. He frowned, resisting the urge to rub at the centre of his chest. Something… hurt? He stared at his feet as they steadily made their way down. What was this?

\---

_Adored child of sound..._


	8. Who Will Save You Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It’s not in my mind, it’s here at my side. Go tell the world I’m still alive._

They reached the bottom without further incident and the ache in his chest had lessened with each moment that passed. By the time they cleared the sloping paths, it had faded completely and Loren returned to gazing speculatively around him.

Researchers were stationed around the glyph on the floor, each taking notes of varying importance as they gathered at the edge. The glyph pulsed with energy, its colours flowing between each branch that stretched for the walls.

“It’s beautiful,” Natalia commented as Anise released a breath of awe, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Jade hummed in distracted acknowledgement, nodding slightly to himself, “Ion,” he called, beckoning him with a slight flick of his wrist, “were you aware of the fact that this seal is in the book you sent me?”

Ion frowned, peering up at Jade before looking at the glyph again. “No,” he admitted, taking in the lines that twisted around each other and the strange symbol framed in the centre. “This seal… is it dangerous?”

“Not the seal itself but what it’s keeping behind it. If we’re going to open it, we need to be prepared for the worst,” he said. Guy crossed his arms.

“How do you mean?” he questioned, frowning in slight confusion, “what did the book say about this?”

Jade adjusted his glasses and sighed before he spoke, “The book described Yulia City during the Dawn Age as ‘the City in Lorelei’s Shadow’ typically because of the tower that dominated it. The people lived at its base and labeled the tower as holy ground since it seemed to reach for the heavens.

“As you can see, there is no tower now but not because it was destroyed. No, the city actually sank and became the first physical bit of proof of the crust’s liquefaction and if I’m right, this room was built at the same time as the passage rings to ensure that it didn’t completely go under.

“So, Natalia, you were right. This room is a passage ring just not in the way you’d expect,” he gave the princess a bland smile and she gave a hesitant nod in return.

“Yes, alright,” she accepted, “but what about the glyph? What is it holding back?”

“Mmm. For whatever reason, a portion of the city below didn’t get enveloped by mud and anything that was left alive mutated into what they called fiends. Fiends that somehow found their way up and into the remainder of the city. The Fon Master of the time crafted this seal to keep them at bay and ordered it to never be opened.”

There was a moments of silence where even the researchers across the room stopped what they were doing and glanced nervously between themselves and the glyph.

“So,” Anise drew out the word, “it’s just blocking a bunch of monsters.” Her rehashed description seemed to get them to relax but then Jade chuckled and set them right back on edge.

“No, no, _fiends_ ,” he corrected, “creatures worse than the monsters we’ve fought previously. Or so they say, anyway. Though, I suppose we won’t really know until we go down there ourselves.”

“Right,” Guy sighed and sent a pleading glance to the ceiling. “Well, as long as we’re here,” he turned to Teodoro, “I think it’d be best if you and your people left for the time being.”

“Yes, I think you’re right,” the man agreed and gestured to the men across the room. “Be careful,” he warned before he turned around and made his way out, falling in step with a woman as she glanced nervously over her shoulder.

“Well then,” Jade started once they were sufficiently out of the way, “Ion, if you would.”

The Fon Master nodded, stepping out over the glowing strands and into the centre of the room. He took a deep breath to ready himself then raised his arms, holding his hands out to the sides as if to welcome someone. The glyph flashed once, the colours slowing before coming to a standstill.

Loren’s breath caught in his throat, feeling a strange sort of apprehension grip him. Then the flow reversed, colours blurring as they twisted towards the centre and pulled the strands of the seal with them. A pressure was building in his mind, growing larger as line after line was tugged away.

He gritted his teeth and pressed a hand against his temple though it did nothing to ease the growing pain. If anything, it seemed to spread, becoming an ache that consumed his limbs and left him shaking.

_Loren?_

One by one, the branches disappeared though it was achingly slow compared to the strands that were whipped away from them. He gasped as his vision blurred, staggering slightly before something grabbed him.

_Guys, something’s wrong!_

He groaned, voices getting lost in the roar of sound surrounding him. The pressure had turned into unrelenting pounding and he was starting to become cold. So desperately cold.

_Loren, can you hear me? Loren!_

_Ion, stop!_

_I can’t!_

Then his knees touched the ground and he didn’t have the energy to resist as the rest of him followed, leaving him sprawled on whoever was holding him. He tried to see, tried to find the source of the force that seemed to press him to the ground. But everything swam and nothing made sense and he resigned himself to waiting it out.

He wasn’t prepared when everything froze. More, it was a moment that lasted far longer than it should have. Then everything came crashing down and he wasn’t able to stop the scream.

\---

_“Something’s here.” The twins, tall and proud, scanned the miasma, leaning against each other as they always did. …What?_

_“What is that? It feels almost…” One whispered, clutching at her sister’s arm as something sparked in her eyes. … Safe?_

_“It can’t be…” They turned, the elder standing just steps behind them and staring off into the distance. No…no…_

_“Elder?” Their heads tilted, expressions asking their unvoiced question. Not safe, this… please…_

_“Where is he?” She whirled upon them, somehow looming despite her stature, “Where is the oath breaker?” Asch…_

_The twins looked at each other and shared a frown. “We don’t know, madam,” one started, refusing to meet the elder’s eyes._

_“He’s been hidden from us ever since that wretched-“her sister tugged on her sleeve and she stopped, lips thinning as she glared at her feet. The elder’s hand had raised, crooked digits curled into a fist as she stared at something unseen. …!_

_A wide grin stretched across her lips, “Not well enough it seems.” She seemed to stare directly at him, her eyes glinting with a deadly promise in the low light. No…_

_“Call the others,” she barked, “I found him.” Asch!_

\---

Everything was a blur. Shadows blended together and objects formed and faded before he could register where they were. Panic raced through his veins, urging him to move, to leave, to _run_ because they weren’t safe. No, they couldn’t be safe, they’d never be safe. They would _always_ -

He choked, hands going to his neck to cover the sudden pain as he doubled over. Then his arms were pulled away and something pressed sharply into the centre of his back before his chest slammed against the floor.

He groaned weakly, blinking rapidly as the haze cleared away and he finally recognized the room he was in.

“Are you awake now?” Asch growled above him, clearly displeased, and he nodded as best as he could with his face pressed against the carpet. “Good,” his arms were released and the elbow lifted, “now what the fuck was that?”

He coughed and cleared his throat as he shook his head, lifting himself so he was sitting on his knees. “I don’t-” he coughed again and rubbed the base of his neck, “I don’t know.”

“Was it the spirits?” Asch kneeled next to him, elbows braced on his knees.

“The what?” Luke looked at him, confused. Surely he couldn’t mean-

“The spirits of Akzeriuth.” His eyes widened as he jerked back and Asch’s lips twisted in a grimace. “They’re hardly a figment of your imagination,” he answered the question that had yet to form, glancing to the light before he refocused on Luke.

But that glance showed something else that Luke had yet to notice; a scar that splashed across Asch’s brow and over his left eye that was previously hidden by hair and shadow. His breath left him in a rush. “They’re real,” he swallowed hard, “they’re actually real.” His hands shook as he clutched at the carpet.

‘I’m not-’ Asch’s frown changed.

 _“_ They’re not just-” His heart was in his throat.

“Luke, what?” His vision blurred and his breath came in short gasps.

‘I didn’t-’ He curled on himself, pressing a hand to one of the bandages on his arm. His chest hurt.

“Luke?!” Asch’s hand landed on his shoulder, trying to get him to straighten. His nails dug into the fabric and a high keening sound echoed in his ears. He wasn’t-

‘They’re real. They’re real, they’re real, _they’re real.’_

“Luke, you need to breathe.” The keening stopped and left his ears ringing. “Breathe, Luke.” He sobbed and pressed his forehead to the carpet. Relieved tears soaked into the fibers and he released his grip to cling to Asch’s wrist.

“They’re real,” his voice was tight and he got the sense that Asch was nodding above him. “I didn’t dream them up.”

“No.” His voice was soft, so uncharacteristically soft. Luke coughed in an attempt to stifle a sob and warm fingers threaded through his hair.

“I’m not crazy.”

“No.”

\---

Fingers pressed against his face and hands pulled at his arms as voices murmured in his ears and lights flickered fleetingly through his eyelids. The fingers left with distant shouting, the words unintelligible aside from the fierce emotion behind them.

The hands replaced the fingers, shifting him, moving him almost desperately. They pressed against his neck then fluttered over his eyes before running through his hair and disappearing.

Energy flowed in circuits around the room, extracted, consumed, converted, released. Ever moving, never still.

Five shining beacons, the focal point of it all, firm in their stance as the sentinel. Shadows curled at the center, writhing at the edges and lashing at the corners.

Gold laced the room, arching through the beacons unnoticed and unhindered. _You are me yet not._ Darkness twisted within it. _You were never... in my future._ It grew, trembled, and shifted. _Perhaps... this?_

The shadows pulsed and suddenly he was aware. Loren sucked a harsh breath, taking in the scene in an instant. Everybody was fighting, surrounding the beast at the center of the room and keeping it where it was, away from the edge, away from _him_. It struck at them with jagged claws and gleaming teeth, pale eyes unseeing as it used its wide, pointed ears to find them.

He released a slow breath and stood. The flow of fonons was something he was intimately familiar with, each element answering the call with bursts of fire and flashes of lightning. Except...

He inhaled and raised his hand, pulling at the seventh fonons that refused to circle through. They flocked to him, licking at his hand and wrapping eagerly around his arm, desperate to please, to be of use. A strange sound rung in his ears, a low note at discord with another.

His eyes alighted on the beast, the _fiend_ that roared its anger at them. He exhaled, the words of his arte drifting off his lips with barely a whisper.

” _Grand Discord._ ”

The reaction was instantaneous. None of the others heard it but the beast clearly did as it shrieked and seemed to collapse upon itself. It writhed in the center, shaking its head and clawing futilely at its ears. The fonons danced around him, joyous and proud.

Loren breathed.

The arte dissipated and the beast shook its head wildly, nostrils flaring. Loren picked up his staff from the floor. It found him within moments, bloody claws tearing grooves into the ground as it leapt over the stunned circle of warriors for him. He didn’t hear his name as it filled the room in a chorus of fear. Adrenaline filled his veins, his fingers held his staff loosely. He waited, one beat, two.

“ _Null._ ”

The beast slammed into the wall erected before him, a shuddering barrier of sound. He moved. It could still smell him and its tail whipped around in retaliation. He leapt, watching it with wide eyes, tracking every twitch. Time seemed to slow.

_What is this energy...?_

Seventh fonons gathered around him, anxious and anticipating. He inhaled. He needed more, needed to finish it. There were so many, where...? He gripped his staff and  _pulled_. Someone fell with a gasp. He grinned, eyes gleaming with victory.

He landed, flipped backwards to avoid the claws, then let it go. “ _Dissona’s Requiem!_ ” The beast threw itself backwards with an unholy sound, curling and flipping and bashing its head against the floor to relieve the pressure of the attack. Then, with a piercing cry, it buried its claws in its own head and Loren allowed the fonons to dissipate back into the air as it fell limp to the floor.

He breathed, heart strangely calm in his chest.

“Loren?” He blinked and turned to the rest of the party still in the center of the room. Tear was on her knees, a hand pressed to the center of her chest with Natalia crouching at her side. Seventh fonons,  _different from his own_ , wrapped her palms in a healing arte. Guy was behind them, concern furrowing his brow and next to him, Jade watched Loren with piercing analysis. Ion stood on Guy’s other side, a white knuckled grip on his staff and Anise was coming towards him with caution in every step.

“I’m fine,” he said automatically, slinging his staff to his back as he turned fully towards them then paused when he realized,  _he wasn’t wrong_. He lifted his hands, staring at them in wonder when they remained steady. “I’m fine,” he repeated, flexing his fingers then stared at Anise when she stepped in front of him.

“Are you sure?” Her hands took his, curling their fingers together and Loren nodded resolutely.

“It’s strange,” he admitted, his gaze sliding away from Anise’s imploring look. He stared at the fiend instead, it’s thin fur matted and bloody. “I feel,” he paused, searching for a word that could describe the energy running through him. Great, fantastic, powerful, boundless,  _“Alive,_ ” his breath left him in a rush, “like I could do anything.”

“Loren,” Anise was quiet, her grip on his fingers tightening and something in her voice made him look back, “you killed it when our attacks barely touched it.” Loren frowned, surely she was exaggerating. “ _Razing Phoenix_  and _Indignation_  were the only things that hurt it and you, you ended it in two hits.” Loren’s blood ran cold.

“In two hits with artes we’ve never seen,” Jade continued and Loren couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze. Because he suddenly knew with burning clarity the reason for his scorching look. He knew that  _sound_  was never basis for such an attack before and he knew that none of the fonons could even support what he just did and yet-

“It’s the seventh fonon,” he said because that was where they came from, the fonons that still surrounded him and weaved around his limbs even if they didn't quite fit the bill anymore. But with the way Jade adjusted his glasses out of the corner of his eye he knew the man didn’t believe him, not when the excuse sounded flimsy to his own ears.

“Maybe,” he said and Loren found himself growing tense, “yet considering its history, I’m disinclined to believe that’s the case. While the seventh fonon may be sound based, it is calming, healing. It is a fonon that’s disinclined towards damage, going so far as to even rebel when attempted. The seventh fonon is euphony. That,” Jade tilted his head towards the fiend, “was not.”

\---

_Let your tune flow free..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been another year, ahaa... I'm sorry.


	9. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Well, the nightmares I’ve been having have arrived. Visions I've been dreaming are coming down. They’re changing my future._

Luke sat slouched in his chair as he stared listlessly at his bowl of noodles and shuffled them around with his fork. A bean sprout flopped over the edge and landed limply on the table.

“Luke,” Asch reprimanded quietly and Luke picked it up with his fingers and flicked it at him. It didn’t even make it half way. Asch sighed as Luke pushed the dish away to cross his arms on the surface and rest his chin on them.

“How long are you planning to brood?” Asch asked, his fork hanging loose in one hand as he braced his elbows on either side of his bowl.

“I’m not,” Luke denied and Asch scoffed.

“You are,” he insisted. Luke didn’t reply, turning his head to stare determinedly away from him instead. Asch watched him, lazily swinging his fork over his bowl, the contents mostly eaten. Aside from the silence, there were no outward signs but Asch could feel the turmoil that brewed in Luke’s mind along with the apprehension and utter fear.

“Alright,” Asch bowed his head and closed his eyes briefly, scarcely believing what he was about to do. He dropped his fork with a clatter and pushed away from the table. There was a flicker of question though Luke refused to act on it, ignoring him completely when he took both their bowls away. He was unprepared for when Asch nearly took the chair from under him.

Luke squawked loudly, his palms slapping the table before that was too far away and he threw himself back into his seat in order to not end up on the floor. “What the hell?” he shouted, glaring up at Asch as he came around to his front.

“Shut up,” Asch gripped the arms of the dining chair and ignored the tensing of Luke’s shoulders, “you listen to me because this is the only time I’m going to say it. You can’t afford to bottle this up anymore. Staying silent and hoping it’ll blow over has never worked and it never will. All it does is burn bridges and close doors that need to be open and we can’t have that, especially not now.

“We’ve been here for four days. Four days where the world has continued to turn and we’ve been here _hiding_ because you couldn’t pull your head out of your ass and actually talk to someone. So no, nothing’s going to happen unless you step up and do it yourself and whether you want to or not, you need to talk about this. This is your first step and as much as it pains me to admit it, I’m your only option so I’m going to do my damnedest to see you through this alive despite how much you don’t think you deserve it.” Luke’s face twisted and Asch could feel the denial building.

“But I-”

“But you _do,_ ” Asch cut him off with a hard shake that had the legs of the chair scratching noisily on the floor, “I’ve seen your mind, I’ve heard your thoughts! I know _exactly_ what you feel and it’s so frustrating to watch you beat yourself up over this when I don’t even like you!”

“Then why do you even care!”

“Because despite what you seem to think, I don’t want to see you dead!” Luke’s eyes grew wide and the thought that had spurned his statement faltered and faded as he leaned back against his chair. Confusion replaced it along with snippets of memories and beneath that still lurked a layer of fear. Asch pursed his lips and straightened, resisting the urge to cross his arms.

“Look, I get it,” he continued, quieter than before, “I don’t really have the best track record where you’re concerned but at this point, neither of us have a choice. Something is going on out there, larger than any of us ever expected and we both need to be alive in order to see it through. Going with the spirits isn’t going to solve anything. The lands are still going to fall and Van will still go through with his twisted plans. The world won’t stop just because you’re dead. No, the only purpose it would serve is to make everything monumentally harder so I’m _not_ going to let you throw yourself away even if I have to stand with you to do it.”

He paused, letting the words settle between the both of them. He realized, with the vague sense of wonder that filtered through, that while it had been unexpected it was also entirely true and he couldn’t bring himself to feel too upset with the prospect of travelling with his double. Asch sighed and pulled another chair over, before dropping heavily into it.

Wasn’t that a thought, travelling together. After all that time avoiding each other.

Luke sat forward in his seat, lips parting for words that neither of them knew how to say.

How do you explain the moment when your entire world turned on its side and didn’t look to be going back?

Asch shook his head; they’d talk about that later. There were more important things to talk about, namely, “Those things, they want, no,” he shook his head again because their focus on Luke was too pointed for mere want, “they _need_ you for something and I need you to tell me what.”

And the fear was back, discordant and twisting as Luke’s breath hitched. Asch waited, even as Luke’s hands clutched at the fabric of his trousers and the silence between them grew longer and longer. Luke’s gaze dropped to the floor and his lip pulled between his teeth, clearly conflicted. Asch frowned and after another long moment where Luke slowly seemed to curl inwards, he realized there was a reason for the dull throb that was growing at his temple.

“Stop it,” he ordered with a slight mental shove and refused to react to the flinch that resulted, “don’t shut me out. If you can’t say it, then show me.” It took a moment but Asch was aware when the emotion started to trickle back through and it quickly grew into a wave of anxious uncertainty as Luke pulled his legs up and pressed his face into his knees. Asch’s frown deepened. This wasn’t going to work at all.

He pulled his chair closer so his knees were brushing Luke’s toes and laid his hands over trembling arms before bowing his head to the point where he was practically leaning against his replica. He closed his eyes and focused on their connection and the mess of emotions and muddled thoughts that flowed between them.

‘You need to calm down.’

Luke’s hand twitched and the flow twisted and slowed.

‘Trust me.’

Fingers stretched out and clutched at the fabric of his borrowed shirt. Careful hope began to weave through.

‘I’m not going anywhere.’

He held his breath, waiting.

‘...Promise?’

‘...Always.’

And then, as if a barrier had dropped, he heard with startling clarity the mocking calls and whispered taunts that lurked in the far reaches of Luke’s mind. Asch listened with dawning horror as Luke audibly groaned and seemed to pull him closer.

‘They’re always there. I thought they’d gone but they found me again and they keep calling and calling and they won’t stop. I’ve tried shutting them out but then they sing and that just makes everything hurt.’

“Wait, sing?” Asch opened his eyes and pulled away a fraction as Luke let his feet drop to the floor on either side of his knees. He gave a single tense nod and the distant cackling was blocked by an echo of a song.

“I don’t-” Luke gritted his teeth, ‘the only thing I can make out is ‘Child of Sound’. The rest is a haze and it hurts to listen to.’ Asch leaned back a bit more and Luke seemed to follow though his shoulders were hunched as if he was in pain. Asch tightened his hold on Luke’s arms.

“Luke, does your head hurt?” He got a groan and a nod in response and Asch had to wonder _why?_

What the hell was going on?

The errant thought earned him strained laughter and he huffed.

‘It’s ‘cause,’ Luke flinched, his eyes squeezing shut and his nails digging through Asch’s shirt, ‘they’ve actually started singing now. Everything h-,’ he gasped and Asch felt a chill as everything from Luke’s end seemed to white out aside from the lilting lyrics from the spirits.

“Right,” he swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to speak. The voices hadn’t been blocked, only morphed. “We need to get this sorted out. Come on.” Luke’s grip had gone weak and he had no problems gathering the other into his arms. A question filtered through the static and he gritted his teeth in frustration. ‘Stop that, you fool, you’re going to break something.’

The singing faded into jeering laughter as Luke gasped into his shoulder.

‘I just thought... Maybe...’

‘Chances are that if you can’t understand it then I won’t be able to either.’

‘...I guess.’

‘Mmm.’ With that thought, Asch moved, finally standing in order to bring Luke to the bedroom. His head lolled on his shoulder though he did make an effort to hold on as Asch carried him like child. The God-General snorted at the mild indignation that Luke presented him with.

“Tough shit,” he rebuffed, “we need to get this done.”

‘Just... what are you planning on doing, exactly?’

“Not sure yet,” he shoved the door open with a foot then went over and all but dropped Luke atop the bed. He groaned a bit as Asch climbed in with him, not arguing when he was pushed and pulled into lying on his side.

‘So even you can do things on the fly. Who knew?’ Luke watched him through one eye, lips twitching into a strained smile. Asch scoffed and tugged the sleeve of his shirt over his hand to wipe away the layer of sweat that had built up on Luke’s brow.

“This whole situation is because I ‘did things on the fly’, as you say,” he let his hand rest between them and Luke let out a soft laugh, “imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t gone after your stupid ass.”

“I’d probably be dead.” There was a thin level of humour in his voice as he tried to keep the mood light but Asch’s frown was immediate and the look in his narrowed eyes made Luke look away, his gaze darting to the window over Asch’s shoulder. “Right,” he cleared his throat when his voice cracked, “shutting up now.”

Asch grunted and pushed aside the image that had formed of Luke lifeless in the hand of the spirits, ignoring the bitter taste in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a task that was sure to be draining then reached into himself for the power that Van had craved. It came easily to him, warm and familiar as it washed through his core and he relaxed even further in the wake of it. Then it grew, expanding beyond him in a way that left him breathless as it stretched for the bridge that he had built for Luke.

He let it go and the energy seemed to surge, echoing with a sense of purpose and Asch realized as Luke gasped beside him that beneath everything, there was an essence he couldn’t put a name to. It was grand and wholesome and once he was aware of it, it was all he could see. Every strand was laced with an emotion as it circled them in a sea of gold.

‘Lorelei,’ the name was whispered but it didn’t lessen the awe that filled Luke’s voice and Asch found himself looking at him in mild confusion.

‘What?’

Luke shrugged, ‘It’s Lorelei. Who else could it be?’

Anything, logic dictated, because Lorelei’s existence was a myth, not proven. But as Asch considered the gathering of seventh fonons within them, the beginnings of a hyperresonance and the essence that didn’t belong to either of them, it occurred to him that Luke didn’t have such boundaries on him. He didn’t have the lessons drilled into him on what was fact and what was fiction and it left him with the ability to make such wild conclusions.

‘You really think...’

‘Of course,’ he fell silent at the surety in Luke’s tone, ‘I can’t hear him but... it feels familiar. Besides, listen.’ And Asch did, wondering what he was supposed to be listening for then paused, caught up in the growing sense of joy as Luke almost seemed to vibrate next to him.

‘Oh,’ he realized, his eyes widening and Luke barely containing his excitement, ‘they’re gone.’

They were _completely_ gone.

And Luke was laughing, his hands reaching for Asch’s and Asch let him, still trying to figure out what exactly had happened. Luke danced around him, every bit of the child his age implied and Asch allowed himself to be spun around once before forcing Luke to either stop or let go with a mild flicker of irritation. Luke laughed it off, too happy to even consider getting upset with him and proceeded to run off and dance with himself.

Now why did that seem familiar?

He watched, slightly puzzled as Luke twisted on his heel and grinned at him, his arms spread wide. Huh. With a sigh, he wandered over and Luke waited patiently for him, swinging lightly on his feet.

‘Stop thinking so hard,’ he said once he was closer, reaching up to tug lightly on a lock of hair to which Asch swatted away, ‘there’s nothing to figure out.’

‘You really think Lorelei did this.’

‘Well, it’s not like you did. You only called him up.’ Asch raised a brow, reluctant to believe but unable to come up with a plausible reason that didn’t seem as outlandish as or even more so than Luke’s.

“Asch.” He blinked and suddenly he was in their bedroom again, surrounded by a fading gold light and wondering when he’d become so unaware of where he was. Luke was staring at him, green eyes wide as he watched him with an emotion he couldn’t describe. He shifted, pressing closer if anything and tightening his hold on their joined hands and _when the hell did that happen?_ “Thank you.”

He blinked again, lips parting in surprise. Then Luke beamed and Asch shoved away, rolling off the bed and he tried to keep the sudden flush in his cheeks from rising.

“Aww, Asch,” Luke almost whined, reaching out for him as he straightened his clothes and just as his fingers brushed the hem of his shirt he stalked away. Luke called after him, failing in holding back his laughter – not that he wanted to and Asch ignored him in favour of leaving the room entirely. Maybe he’d do laundry as he waited for Luke to calm down.

\--

_The seventh fonon is euphony. That was not._

Jade’s words seemed to echo around them, lasting in their minds far longer than they did in the air. Guy’s hand hovered, hesitating in actually pulling Jade back and Loren’s lips thinned.  He took a deep breath, mentally commanding the fonons surrounding him to disperse. They left slowly, as if reluctant and disappointed and he almost felt guilty enough to let them gather back but under Jade’s stare, he didn’t dare.

_Something wasn’t right._

“I’m not sure what else to tell you,” he said and gently removed his hands from Anise’s grasp before heading towards the rest of them. Jade hummed, the tone disbelieving and his sharp gaze speculative. Loren met it briefly, long enough to know that Jade wasn’t about to press any further before he turned his gaze towards Tear.

“Are you alright?” The glow around Natalia’s hands faded as he kneeled next to them. Tear nodded as she cleared her throat then smiled at him.

“I’m fine,” she assured, “just a little winded.” And with nothing else glaringly obvious, Loren could only accept what she said as truth.

“Here,” he offered his hand as Natalia pulled away and Tear accepted it, the three of them rising to their feet in near unison. Anise stepped up beside him, a gel held out for Tear to take which she did with a thankful nod.

“We need to get more supplies if we’re gonna go any further,” she advised and that seemed to be the signal that let everybody relax, if at least slightly.

“She’s right,” Natalia agreed, splitting off to retrieve her bow from the floor, “I have a couple of apple gels and a miracle gel left and if the any of the creatures below are like that one, we’re going to need a full stock.”

“Right,” Guy nodded and stretched his arms above his head, “since we’re going back, why don’t we rest for a bit once we get up there?” He let them fall back with an easy sigh, “I don’t think anything else is going to come out of there anytime soon.”

“Uh, I’m not sure if you missed it, but that thing,” Anise’s arm raised and her finger pointed straight towards the beast, “came out as soon as the seal broke. What if something else is lurking down there just waiting for us to leave?”

“Then we’re just going to have to take that chance,” Jade said, glancing at her briefly as he adjusted his glasses by the bridge of his nose, “besides, I’m sure Ion would appreciate a small nap before we take on what the rest of this place has to offer.” And then they were all focused on him and the Fon Master bowed his head in apology.

“I’m sorry,” he smiled, face pale and Guy quickly stepped aside as Anise pushed through to wrap her hands around Ion’s.

“No,” she shook her head, dark hair flying wildly, “you have nothing to apologize for. You need your rest.” Ion gave her a weary smile and Loren suddenly remembered Anise’s words back in Sheridan when she called him out on his own illness. That, coupled with Ion’s knowledge about him, made for a rather chilling picture.

“Mieu! Are we going back?” The cheagle popped its head out of the bag at Anise’s hip and Loren jumped, still not used to the fact that it _talked_. Tear’s hand dropped on top of it, her fingers rubbing tiny circles on its head.

“Yes,” Tear nodded, “it’s safe to come out now.” Loren stared as it chirped and climbed her arm, proceeding to make itself comfortable on her shoulder under her hair.

“Come on,” Guy beckoned towards the ramp, “everybody could use a break, I think.” Everybody except himself, Loren thought amidst the murmurs of agreement as they followed his lead. His heart beat steady in his chest and his breath came easy, a strange though not unwelcome contrast to his usual countenance.

He ended up in the middle of the group as they climbed the slopes, right next to the Fon Master whose entire being seemed to droop with exhaustion. He wanted to ask, wanted to hear how it had happened and _why_. He wanted to know _when_ the original Fon Master was switched out for a replica because once Loren connected the dots, it was so painfully obvious that was what he was.

But he stayed his tongue and kept his thoughts to himself, focusing instead on the fonons that followed him at a distance and the song that resonated between them.

_Something wasn’t entirely wrong, either._

\--

_Beloved child of sound..._


	10. Granite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They are standing by, no time to wait, no meeting half way._

“Anise, if you would be so kind,” Jade gestured to Ion with a wave of his hand as they cleared the steps and the girl saluted, a grin stretching her lips. Then she took the Fon Master by the arm and led him away. Loren stared after them, somewhat confused before he realized it was Yulia City and of course the Fon Master would have his own rooms. He raised his hand towards his head in a habitual gesture to fix his hat then stopped when he remembered it wasn’t there.

Right. He left it in Baticul. And he’d forgotten to pick up his spare in Daath. Natalia chuckled quietly beside him and he scowled, knowing he’d been caught. Embarrassed, he let his arm drop and refused to meet anyone’s eyes as he separated from the group.

“We leave when the Fon Master wakes,” Jade called after him and he waved to acknowledge the man.

Eventually, he found himself at the docks, standing just outside the protective barrier of water and staring out into the bleak horizon. The song that had followed him from beneath the city was stronger there, more than just a faint resonance between fonons.

He closed his eyes and turned his face to the wind. They whispered to him, emotions lingering at the edge of his mind and he breathed with them, embracing them. There were words, they were talking to him, begging and he found he couldn’t deny them. His lips parted and he gave them voice.

“ _Adored child of sound, let your tune flow free._ ”

Fonons snapped and twisted and his breath tore from his chest as they arced into the distance. Stars burst in his vision, nearly blinding him and they cleared in time for him to see the fonons come together in an even larger form of Grand Discord. His arms dropped from where they’d risen and he swallowed thickly.

They definitely weren’t seventh fonons.

Numbly, he turned on his heel and headed back towards the city proper. Fear curled low in his stomach and bile licked at the back of his throat. He swallowed again.

The fonons, they sang of comfort and acceptance, something he had longed for since his creation. But in that single moment he’d also heard the undertones. He’d heard the malice and the strings of violence and he wondered just how _sentient_ those… things were.

He breathed harshly through his nose then forced himself to slow before he broke out into a full run. He could feel them lingering behind him, following despite his efforts to push them away. They were drawn to him, for whatever reason, and he wished that the thing that had practically given them to him beneath the city had decided to take them away instead.

Jade was right, euphony was not a word that could describe them. They wished for death and destruction. Revenge.

He stumbled sideways, lurching against the guard rail and grasping at it with suddenly weak fingers. He slid slowly to the ground, breathing hard against the growing pain in his chest.

But that didn’t make sense. What use did revenge have for them? What would be the point and who was it against in the first place?

He pressed his forehead to the bars of the rail, hoping the metal would cool his heated skin. His arms were going numb, why were his arms going numb? He pulled his legs up in an attempt to get the pain in his chest to ease and it did for a moment but it quickly grew and expanded beyond what it had been.

He moaned and pressed harder against the metal if only to have something else to concentrate on because this was worse than anything he had ever experienced. Worse than anytime he had passed out even because at least then he wasn’t plagued with the overwhelming _pain._ By the Score, _why hadn’t he passed out yet_?

Help, he needed help. And to get help he needed to stand. But he couldn’t, he couldn’t even move his fingers, oh, Lorelei, what was this? What was going on, this had never happened before. This was it, wasn’t it? This was how he was going to die, frozen, unable to move, unable to even _breathe_. He couldn’t find the breath to even shout; what a miserable way to die.

He’d gotten too relaxed, drunk on the feeling of being able to do more than _exist_. All he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears and his rapid breaths and he wondered dimly when that would stop. When would his body finally give out on him? He didn’t know how much more he could take.

Score, how long had it been? How long had he been set there practically paralyzed? Five minutes? Ten? A whole damned hour? If only he could breathe properly. How like his useless body to give out on him at the most inopportune times. And this was probably it. No more Loren, failed replica of Duke Fabre’s son, finally dead despite his best efforts.

But he didn’t want to die. Not like this.

He heard distant shouting and briefly wondered who had screwed up. They were loud if he could hear them from that far away. He couldn’t tell what they were saying though, not when he could barely keep his eyes open enough to see. Then something brushed against him, his locked limbs impossibly tensing further and he groaned as much as he could at the burst of pain.

Whatever had touched him didn’t go away. His heart raced, pounding harder than ever as he tried to get away. This was it, he was going to die. Whoever had found him was going to put him out of his misery. Do the world a favour with one less replica in it.

He didn’t remember when he finally passed out.

\--

Utterly bored, Luke sat on the floor of the sitting room, a small stack of paper on the coffee table in front of him and a pencil in hand. His head was propped in his other hand as he scratched nonsensical lines on the surface and contemplated what to do next.

They hadn’t been able to figure out what the spirits had wanted, unfortunately, though Luke couldn’t be too upset about it. He had his head to himself again. Generally. He frowned slightly and dropped the pencil to scratch around one of the fresh bandages on his arm.

“Come on,” Asch directed from behind him, launching a balled up shirt at the back of Luke’s head, “I’ve figured out what we can do while we wait for your friends to come get you.”

“How do you know they’re even coming?” Luke grumbled, abandoning his useless doodles to pull the dark fabric over his head. He stood up, tugging at places where the shirt had gotten caught on his bandages before turning around only to find Asch staring at him, brows furrowed. “What?”

“You honestly think that they’d leave you to rot down here?” he said after a moment of consideration.

“Well,” Luke gave a stilted shrug, remembering the aftermath of Akzeriuth and the moment everyone turned their backs, “they all just put up with me, I think, since I can help lower the lands safely.” Asch scowled, his lip curling as he turned on his heel and left the room, moving quickly down the hall. Luke followed after him at a slower pace, not really concerned about his reaction.

He went into the other room, the one bare of everything including carpet and wallpaper and closed the door behind him. Asch’s socked feet paced circles across the room and Luke watched him, just a little bit confused.

“They never let you talk, did they?” Luke blinked at the abrupt question and, if anything, Asch’s pace seemed to increase. “They just let you suffer in silence, wilfully ignoring something that was so blatantly obvious.” His hand clenched into a fist and instead of looping back around, his arm flew out and cracked his fist into the drywall. Luke jumped, staring bewildered at the hole left behind.

“Asch, what?”

“Just tell me, did they let you talk?” Asch’s gaze was intense in his fury, so easily felt at the edge of Luke’s mind yet none of it was directed at him.

“Um,” he swallowed, eyes darting away for a moment as he backed up half a step because all that anger was still daunting. “Not really,” he admitted with a shrug as he recalled Natalia’s abrupt topic changes whenever the conversation would start to veer towards Akzeriuth. Or Anise’s distinct discomfort about it whenever they’d be talking alone. The guilt made him stop trying altogether.

“Jade would usually be awake after a nightmare, though, so he’d sit with me,” he said as if it would justify everything else. Asch closed his eyes and lifted his face towards the ceiling as he took a deep breath.

“And what about Guy?”

“He’d usually tell me not to think about it.”

Asch stared blankly at the ceiling, unable to convey how utterly furious he was. “Useless,” he muttered to the plaster, “completely useless. Remind me to punch him in the face when we get out of here.”

“Please don’t,” he said somewhat weakly, “he tries his best.” Asch’s blank stare turned on him and he quickly waved his hands, “A-anyway, never mind that! What did you want to do in here?” Asch sighed and allowed the topic to end, if only for the moment. He dropped down to sit cross legged on the floor.

“I’m going to teach you how to channel fonons.”

\--

“Willow?” Maple slowly opened her eyes as she raised her head. At the center of their circle, the elder stood, her arms falling from where they’d been clasped in prayer.

“Who was that?” James whispered in awe. He broke their circle, running forward to clutch at the elder’s skirts.

“An unforeseen variable, one more suitable than the first,” she patted the top of the child’s head the signalled for the rest to join her. “Ignore the oath breaker for now,” she directed as they approached, “try and contact this one. He managed to hear our song without our attention; perhaps he’ll be more receptive.”

“The oath breaker is protected anyhow,” Asher rumbled and crossed his arms loosely over his chest, “I doubt we’d be able to reach him again.”

“No matter,” Willow waved a gnarled hand, “if we can garner more ground with this one then we might be able to use him as a vessel.”

“What happened, though?” Camille rocked on her heels, her hand joined with Valerie’s, “how come we never noticed him before?”

“At this point, it doesn’t matter,” Castor all but scoffed and Bella pinched his arm. He jerked away with a glare then crossed his arms petulantly. “Those idiots broke the seal,” he said, taking a half step away from her, “we’re free to leave.”

“Ah, but it’s because they broke the seal that we were able to find him,” if a smile could be disapproving, Willow managed it as she looked at the teen. “Come,” her hand snapped up and her followers fell still, “we leave immediately. There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

\---

Initially, Guy was surprised when he finally found Anise at Loren’s side. Then he considered the odd sort of attachment she seemed to have developed for him over the short time they were together and the outcome didn’t seem very surprising at all. He hovered on the steps, barely able to see the top of Anise’s head over the edge of the bed, and remembered when Luke had been in his place not so long ago. He breathed a soft sigh.

“I would’ve figured you’d be with Ion,” his voice was low as he came up over the top of the stairs and took in the girl fully. She sat in the single chair next to the bed, Tokunaga in her lap and a needle and thread in hand. Her motions were methodical as she stitched the small tears closed.

“Ion doesn’t need me there,” she muttered as she tied a knot and bit the thread off. “Besides,” she tied a new knot and started on another tear, “I don’t have that right anymore.”

“You’re still his friend.” Anise shook her head.

“He’ll be fine,” she insisted, “he only needs to sleep. He doesn’t need me there for that.” She tugged her thread through and frowned when the strands twisted. Guy stepped closer, watching as she slowly untangled them.

After a moment, she spoke again. “I’ve seen him around the cathedral, sometimes in the main area but usually in the lower quarters,” it took Guy a moment for him to realize she meant Loren. “He used to practice the sword years ago but stopped when it became too strenuous, I think. I remember father giving him something one day, some sort of ointment or muscle cream, something along those lines. ‘It’ll help you relax,’ he said and Loren was so reluctant to take it, it was almost sad the way father practically had to force it on him.

“‘I promise, I promise,’ father repeated until Loren finally took it with his own promise to use it all. I didn’t see him for almost a month after that. He was just another nameless face in the sea of acolytes, I figured he’d been sent off and stationed in another city like so many others. But he wasn’t, he-” Guy didn’t know if the sound that came out of her was supposed to be a laugh or a sob and his brows shot up.

“When we found him, over by the docks, I remembered. I was in one of my exploring moods, running along the lower levels like it was an entirely new area I had to discover and I saw him. He was slumped against the wall, pale as a ghost, shaking and so unbelievably warm, I can’t _believe_ I never remembered before!” She went to slam her fists against her knees, Tokunaga clutched tight between her fingers, when she remembered the needle in her other hand and stopped mid-motion. Instead she threw her head back and seemed to physically fight the tears from forming.

“The stuff father gave him, it made him sick, so sick,” she said to the ceiling and Guy did his best to ignore the crack in her voice. “I don’t know if he was allergic to something in it or what but I could smell it on him, it was so strong. Like his body didn’t know what to do with it. He remembered me, though. ‘Oliver’s daughter, right?’ he said to me with that same smile that Luke gives Ion and I didn’t know what to do so I just nodded. He put his hand on my shoulder and he _apologized_ , the fool.

“‘Tell your father I won’t be needing that cream anymore,’ he told me, that stupid, _stupid_ cream. Then he got up and went back to his room and looking back on it now, I’m surprised he didn’t fall flat on his stupid fool face, he was swaying so hard!” She glared at the ceiling with a firm set to her jaw as she did her best to ignore the few tears she didn’t manage to hold back.

“But I did as he asked. I told father and he never tried to force anything on Loren again, not that he ever got the chance. The only time I would see him after that was whenever I bothered to go below and I always remembered him as that one guy father almost killed. Then I forgot and he was back to being another nameless face,” she looked at Guy with a sad smile.

“I remember before, every time I saw him, he carried a sword. He was one of the few acolytes who did and I guess that was what helped me remember him. Without it, he became like every other acolyte.

“I just,” she took a deep breath then furiously wiped the tears away with her sleeve, “I keep remembering that moment. How, when he looked at me, he seemed so large and so small at the same time and I wondered why he didn’t ask for help. I didn’t help him then. I didn’t know if I could. But this time, I can at least make sure he’s not alone.”

“Anise,” Guy breathed softly and she waved her hand with a shake of her head.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” she bowed her head, turning her concentration back to Tokunaga, “come get me when Ion wakes up. Hopefully Loren’ll be awake then too.”

“Alright,” Guy agreed though he hesitated at the top of the stairs. “There’s food,” he said, “in the kitchens by Ion’s room. I’ll set some aside for the both of you.”

“Thanks,” Anise nodded but didn’t turn and Guy descended the stairs.

\---

_Embrace our discord..._


	11. The Fountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _All my dreams and all this stuff - all made real and it's not enough. I'm not afraid, I just don't belong. It may be cynical but it all seems wrong._

Anise didn’t notice when Loren woke up. She only noticed after she figured he’d been awake for a while and finally decided to let her know. He wasn’t subtle about it either, no, he sat up all at once while he watched her out of the corner of his eye. No quiet shifting, no soft noises typical for one that had just been asleep, he was just… up. No, there it was.

His hand rubbed at part of his face as he watched her balefully out of the corner of his eye. “How long?” he asked as his hand dropped to his lap, utterly ignoring her surprise. She gaped for a moment, her mouth working before her voice decided to kick in because Loren was acting as if _nothing_ had happened. As if it were routine then she realized it probably was to an extent.

“About 3 hours,” she said finally then frowned, her chest tightening with apprehension when his brow furrowed and he looked at her in confusion.

‘3 hours,’ he mouthed and stared down at his hands, clearly having expected something else. A larger number she supposed but she spared a glance to the small clock on the side table to confirm that yes, it had only been three hours. Three hours since they found him on the dock and three hours since Tear was forced to put him to sleep.

Anise leaned forward, her hand raised though she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with it. Comfort him, maybe, but she didn’t know how to go about it. She rested her palm on the covers instead, drawing Loren’s attention away from himself. She hesitated when their eyes met, the intensity in his gaze nearly making her apologize and leave. But she steeled herself, clutching the blanket between her fingers as she straightened her back and met his gaze evenly.

“You’re not alone,” she said. Loren’s eyes narrowed and his frowned deepened but she refused to let it stop her. “You’re allowed to let us know when something’s wrong. You don’t,” she took a deep breath and blinked rapidly to stave off the sudden influx of tears. Damn it all, she thought she was done, “You don’t need to hide.”

Loren’s lips parted and he took in a breath as he prepared to speak then stopped himself. He shook his head instead as he looked away, his shoulders falling with the released air. “Thank you,” he said softly and Anise had to wonder what it was he had meant to say before. He shoved the covers aside and she was forced back into her seat as he climbed out of bed.

His uniform was hung on the closet door, leaving him in a simple shirt and a pair of thin trousers that were the base of most of the uniforms for the Order. He plucked at the hem of his shirt, pulling it loose form where it was caught at the waist then worked on getting dressed.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with me,” he told her after a moment of shuffling, “I’ve managed to get by this long on my own.”

Anise nearly threw herself out of the chair and it teetered precariously on two legs before righting. “But you don’t need to be!”

“Anise,” his tone was firm and for a moment as he looked down at her over his shoulder, she saw an echo of Asch and she found herself sitting again before she realized it. The mattress sank under her and she pushed down the urge to swallow nervously.

“You don’t need to pretend,” he continued and turned his attention back to his clothes, “I know that you guys are trying to include me because of your guilt for _him_ but it’s not necessary. I know my place in the world and there’s no trying to change it.”

“Loren,” Anise tried and he shook his head, sparing one last glance in the mirror next to the closet before he turned around.

“Leave it be,” he smiled as if to lessen the effects of his words. Anise pulled her lip between her teeth and her gaze dropped to stare at her fingers in her lap in order to hide the concern and _frustration_ that overtook her.

“Come on,” he beckoned with his hand as he started for the stairs, “I’m afraid I’m going to get lost very quickly if you let me try to find my way on my own.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Anise quipped, taking the words for what they were; a change, a distraction. She passed him, taking the stairs first and took the time where he couldn’t see her face to compose herself. By the time they left the building and were on their way towards city hall, her usual smile was in place and she swung her arms widely as she hummed a small tune her mother used to sing.

She was faced with a dilemma, it seemed.

How did she get Loren to see that she wasn’t lying? That _none_ of them were lying, for that matter.

She dwelled on the thought, running through his words over and over. Sure, she could agree that guilt played a part of it but it didn’t make up the _whole_ reason for their acceptance. In fact, it made up for very little in her case and most of the guilt she felt for him was for their history, likely forgotten by him as well. But that wasn’t to say the others were the same.

No, she’d have to ask. Make sure that they were all on the same page where Loren was concerned. It wouldn’t do to do it half assed; they’d all learned that lesson. She grimaced and shot Loren a glance out of the corner of her eye. He was oblivious to her thoughts, his attention focused on the structures and the people they passed.

Maybe guilt played a bigger part than she thought. Well, there was no use denying it then. If they tried to avoid it, it would make it that much more awkward. And it would be an awkward conversation because when was a touchy subject never awkward.

She was drawn back to the outside world when they rounded the corner, her arms stopping at her sides as they slowed because Guy had found a spot just outside the building. He was perched on an old shipping crate, elbows braced on his knees as he worked a carving knife over a small piece of wood. He looked up almost immediately, as if he’d been watching for them though his brows lifted in slight surprise.

“You’re awake,” he said when they got closer and he sounded just as surprised though a bit like he was trying to hide it as well. Loren snorted and his lips quirked up in dry humour.

“It’s something I could certainly get used to, though I would still like a coffee,” he said lowly then gestured to the chunk of wood Guy was holding, “anything good coming out of that?”

Guy turned it over in his hand then held it up for them to see it better. It was a lumpy thing, almost shaped like a peanut and the harsh white light of the entryway caught the edges and seemed to deepen its grooves. “Only if good counts as a mangled snowman so far,” he commented then tucked it away into a pocket along with the knife. “It’s not something I do often, I still need practice.”

When he raised his head again, Loren was pinned by a stern look. Everything about Guy was practically scolding, clearly a practiced action, and Anise covered her mouth to help suppress her grin. Loren beside her jerked like he wanted to step back but stopped himself last second. Instead he scowled and glared back.

“You can talk to us, you know,” Guy said, “not all of us are going jump down your throat because of what happened down there.” Loren huffed as he looked away and Guy sighed softly. He stood and swept his wood chips away with a foot then nodded towards the door. “Not sure if Anise told you but there’s food upstairs. Coffee too, I’m sure.”

Loren nodded jerkily then brushed passed, carefully avoiding Guy’s hand before he was through the door and out of sight. Anise’s frown was back when Guy looked at her and her arms crossed tight over her chest.

“He brushed me off, too,” she said, “back at the house.” Guy’s head tilted in question and she shrugged and shook her head then let out an aggravated breath. “I told him that he doesn’t have to hide anymore. That he isn’t alone. He accused me of pretending and acting on my guilt for Luke which I can sort of see but still.”

“So we try again,” Guy braced his hands on his hips as Anise blinked and smiled as if the answer was that simple, “and we keep trying until he understands. Something happened on those docks and it terrified him; I know a panic attack when I see one.”

“Right,” Anise said slowly then nodded once as her arms fell to her sides, her hands fisted with determination. “Right.”

Guy waved his arm towards the door and Anise preceded him through it.

\---

The problem with the blank room was that there were no windows which meant that neither of them knew when their surroundings had begun to change when they finally left it. The sudden darkness of the house was a shock and Luke spent a moment standing confused in the middle of the hallway before Asch pressed by. He moved quickly towards the living room, a darker shadow among shadows and Luke winced when he ended up slamming his shin into the coffee table.

He followed the cursing and lingered at the edge of the room, hand against the wall as he watched Asch lean against the bay windows. So not completely dark, but dark enough. There was a thought, half formed and Asch’s mouth had opened but his hand was already moving and the light was on before a sound even left his lips.

Asch twisted around, brows furrowed and Luke blinked before his hand jerked away from the wall and the light switch as if he’d been burned.

“Sorry,” he muttered, inspecting his palm before he rubbed it against his pants. “Still caught up with the fonon thing,” he offered as an explanation which was partially true but-

He coughed nervously in the back of his throat as Asch shook his head and pushed away from the window.

“In the linen closet there’s a bag, go get it,” _don’t worry about it._ He waved his hand and Luke turned on his heel, working on making their thoughts less of a unified force of intention as it had been. Or was that Asch who was-

“Don’t worry about it!” came Asch’s call from the kitchen, out loud instead and Luke shook his head and focused on the task at hand.

“We’re leaving, then?” he called back as he opened the door and found what Asch was talking about on the floor. It was leather and didn’t look like it would hold much but he hoped it would hold enough. Asch’s grunt echoed between the hall and his mind.

“We’re leaving,” he confirmed, “I’m not sure how much time we have left so we’re-“

“Gonna grab everything we can, right,” Luke finished with a terse nod to himself and darted into the bathroom. Gels and bottles from the mirror cabinet were tossed into the bag along with what remained of the bandages and medical tape. In the kitchen, he could hear packs of food as they hit the table and he wondered just how much of it they were going to be able to take.

He left the bathroom with the cabinet door hanging open and crossed into the kitchen where Asch had moved onto sorting. Small packages of nuts were set aside along with a couple bags of crackers and bottles of water. He picked one up and turned it over in his hand, somewhat unsure.

“Are these...?”

“They’re fine,” Asch insisted and Luke looked up as he set the bag and the bottle on the table.

“You’re rushing,” he noted as Asch darted around the room, leaving drawers and cupboards open in his wake.

“Something tells me this place isn’t going to stay standing once that barrier is gone,” was the tense reply as he came back and dumped a load of... something on the table.

“What?” Asch jerked his head towards the sitting room and Luke looked over his shoulder. On the far wall a large crack had pretty much split it horizontally in two and as he turned to get a better look, something snapped and a part of the ceiling cracked and fell to the floor in a shower of dust.

“Shit.”

“Quite.”

Luke gritted his teeth and choked back a groan of frustration. “Do we have armor?” he asked and looked back to see Asch shake his head once.

“Only what I had on,” he said, “and, regrettably, I left my sword on your airship.” Luke cursed inwardly and resumed packing the bag with as much as he could. Asch snorted to cover a laugh as he followed the train of increasingly inventive curses.

“Do I want to know?” he questioned as he shoved the majority of his pile aside then made for the bedroom.

“Get Anise angry during a fight and see what she comes up with.” Asch smirked to himself though it was brief and it dropped as soon as he entered to room. His eyes darted to the window and the web of cracks that was stretched across it then clicked his tongue. Better hurry.

\---

“You’re awake, I’m surprised.” Loren glared over the rim of his mug at Jade as the man entered the otherwise empty room with Ion on his tail. “I’d figured you’d be out for far longer after that episode down at the docks,” he continued without waiting for a response and guided the Fon Master towards a table.

“You and me, both,” Loren agreed from where he leaned against the counter, his mug held close and met the look Jade sent him over the rims of his glasses.

“What happened?” Ion asked, his eyes wide with concern as he sat and Loren pursed his lips.

“A minor oversight on my part, no issue,” he said in favour of a proper explanation and Ion frowned though he absently nodded his thanks as Jade handed him a plate.

“I’d be less inclined to believe that if I were you,” Jade told him as he also handed over a glass of water, “he seems to have a terrible habit of making things seem less than what they are.” Loren groaned in the back of his throat and busied himself with his own plate of food.

“Meaning?” Ion pressed as Loren speared a few beans with his fork and thrust them into his mouth.

“He had a panic attack by all appearances. We had to have Tear use her hymns to put him to sleep.”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Loren insisted through gritted teeth before the Fon Master could do more than jerk his head towards him, “I don’t-“ He cut himself off and turned away as he swallowed his food.

“You don’t need our concern, yes, I heard,” Jade said as he slipped into the chair next to Ion. Loren pursed his lips to keep from biting them as he realized why it was so easy to convince Guy and Anise to leave him. Ion’s frown deepened and when their eyes met Loren couldn’t look away.

“Do you think I am above help?” he asked after a moment of silence and Loren jerked where he stood. The Fon Master continued to watch him even as he tore his gaze away and clutched the fork hard between his fingers. His jaw was tight, almost painfully so, and a hundred different things raced through his mind.

‘You’re the Fon Master. You’re huge, you’re everywhere. Of course you need help; you can’t run the world on nothing.’ But he was just an acolyte, a tiny piece in the Fon Master’s network and not even one that could influence the greater picture. He was a broken cobblestone, discarded and forgotten off the beaten path of the Order’s reach.

“Of course not,” he said and released the fork before he could twist the prongs into his palm. It dropped on the plate with a loud clatter, teetered, and then fell onto the floor. He held back a wince. The Fon Master continued to wait patiently at the table.

“Of course not,” Loren repeated, softer and more subdued and shoved away from the counter to drop heavily into a chair.

Ion carefully nudged his plate forward before he laced his fingers on the surface. “Can you tell me why?” he asked and Loren hesitated before he sighed quietly.

“You’re the leader of a massive world power with civilian and military divisions. You can’t be expected to be everywhere at once and controlling every single action. It’s illogical, impossible even. You need people to help you do what you can’t in order to keep the people satisfied,” He said then frowned and stared at a knot in the wood, dissatisfied with his own answer.

“Alright,” the Fon Master accepted and Loren got the feeling that he missed something obvious. “So tell me, then, why you believe you can handle everything yourself.”

Loren blinked and his frown deepened and he was suddenly aware of Jade’s gaze like a heavy weight on his shoulders. He shifted in his chair and wet his lips before he spoke again. “I’m- I’m just-,” he huffed and started again, “I’m an acolyte, a single pawn in a group that’s accepting new recruits every day. Comparatively, my work load’s pretty light so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to handle everything that comes up, especially if it pertains to _me_. I’ve never had a reason not to.”

The Fon Master was quiet as he rested back in his seat and dropped his hands into his lap. A glance to side had him meeting Jade’s and Loren swallowed as he found his mouth dry.

 “Loren,” the Fon Master was quiet, “you told me your reasons and now I’m going to tell you mine. Are you ready?” Slightly confused, Loren nodded and Ion nodded as well. “I’m human,” he said, “that is why I’m not above getting help from others and neither should you. Everyone on this planet is human with their own thoughts and emotions and no one is above receiving help when they need, even when they don’t think so.”

Loren wanted to move. He wanted to run but he was bolted to the chair by legs that didn’t want to move and eyes that stared at him imploringly. He couldn’t talk, not that he particularly wanted to, so he nodded to show that he understood. The Fon Master- _Ion_. Ion smiled and Loren found himself relaxing if only slightly.

“Jade, do you mind locating Tear and Natalia if the others haven’t found them already?” Ion asked as he picked up his fork and knife and pulled his plate back towards himself.

“Of course,” Jade stood with a smile and Loren watched him with narrowed eyes as he turned and walked out of the room. He slowly relaxed, finally resting against the back of the chair then he sighed deeply.

“I don’t like when he smiles. It makes him look suspicious,” he told the Fon Ma- Ion and Ion laughed lightly into his food.

“Yes, it certainly takes some getting used to,” he agreed. Loren ran a hand through his hair and stood to retrieve his food from the counter, collecting a new fork as well.

“I take it we’re leaving when we’re done?” He asked as he sat back down. Ion nodded and hummed an affirmative around his food.

“I don’t believe the others would wait another second it if wasn’t necessary,” he said once he'd swallowed, “They’re very eager to find our wayward companions.”

“Even Jade?”

“He doesn’t show it very well and is often the voice of reason, saying what the others don’t want to hear but yes, even him,” Ion said and Loren snorted, the very thought almost ridiculous. Then he remembered back in Sheridan how the man made sure to clear the room before saying anything.

“He cares, doesn’t he?”

“Yes.”

\---

They walked side by side, picking their way through the ruins of the city with the strange golden light that once made up their barrier as their guide. It stopped when they stopped and moved when they did and it seemed to be the only thing that kept the lurking shadows at bay. Weapon less as they were, Luke couldn’t be anything less than grateful for it.

There were flashes in the distance, though. Stark against the gloom and far up on the tower that seemed to dominate the area. They spiralled around its base, slowly making their way upwards over crumbling stairs and around partially collapsed buildings and every time Luke looked back, the ruins of their previous shelter faded more and more into the darkness.

“Eyes forward,” Asch reminded him gently and Luke tore his gaze from the house for what was certainly going to be the last time. He knew he wouldn’t be able to find it after they looped around again.

“You know I’m not telling you that purely for that reason, right?” Asch had stopped ahead of him, his face partially illuminated by the light that hovered near his head. Luke blinked then nodded once, slowly.

Eyes forward, no looking back. “There is no going back,” he said and Asch nodded.

“For anything,” he added as Luke joined him at his side and they continued on. The light trailed ahead, rising and falling intermittently and they followed it around a corner. “We can’t change the past.”

“I don’t want to change the past,” Luke murmured. Not if it meant giving up what he had gained. Even if… Asch’s elbow nudged his side accompanied by what equated to a mental shove at his back and Luke sent him a sour look out of the corner of his eyes. Asch smiled, crooked and with his teeth showing but a smile all the same.

“You’re okay,” he said, “you recognize your faults and now you can learn from them.” He offered his right hand and Luke smiled back as he took it with his left and gave it a hard shake. They pressed ahead, faster once Luke stopped looking back and focused on reaching the top.

At one point, Asch ducked into a half demolished building and came out with a couple of swords and at Luke’s silent question, indicated their guide. His brows rose then furrowed as he frowned. It had grown dimmer as they traveled. He took the bare blade offered to him grimly.

“How’d you know?” he asked, holding the blade up for clarification before he tested it with a sharp swing. It wasn’t his but it would do until they got out of where ever they were. Asch pointed to one of the broken signs leaning pitifully against the wall.

“It’s Ancient Ispanian,” he said, “meaning ‘weaponry’, basically.”

“No sheath?”

Asch’s face twisted as he shook his head, “The one I grabbed pretty much fell apart before I could stand again.”

Luke’s expression mimicked Asch’s and they both turned away from the building. A deft motion out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked over to see Asch sliding the blade into his empty scabbard. Asch smirked as he caught the look.

“Shouldn’t have been an idiot,” he said to which Luke shoved him with an elbow.

While their progress had been altogether slow, the people above them certainly weren’t.  The faint sounds that did carry down were steadily growing louder and when they looked up, the levels between them and the tell tale flashes of different artes were fewer.

“That’s them, isn’t it?” Luke commented a while later. His head was craned back and his sword leaned against the rock beside him. They sat in a secluded corner, the light of their guide more of a gentle glow than anything else. It had sputtered more than once and they decided that one last uninterrupted break was probably for the best before it disappeared completely.

“Most likely,” Asch nodded then crunched on a cracker. With a twist of his wrist, the bag was offered to Luke who sighed and took it reluctantly. He chewed on a few as Asch stood and stretched then looped around their ‘camp’.

“You were right,” Luke muttered just as Asch ducked behind a broken wall.

“Of course I was,” came the quick reply before his head reappeared with a cocky smirk, “you doubted me?” Luke whipped a cracker at him and he ducked down again before it could smack him in the face. “Never mind, of course you did.”

“They didn’t come for me last time.”

“Guy did, I think you’ll remember.”

“Yeah, but that’s...”

“Just one person, I know,” Asch rose again, inspecting something in his hands before he discarded it. Luke slouched against the short wall at his back and raised a foot to brace himself on the rock. “But I have it in fairly good confidence that the rest of them are just as willing this time.”

Luke grunted a question and Asch stepped out from behind the wall. _What do you mean?_ His head tilted as he watched Luke spin a cracker between his fingers before biting into it.  Consciously or not, he was trying to be smaller without being obvious. Luke shot him a look and his foot dropped back down to the ground. Asch sent him a quick bemused smirk as he approached.

“You didn’t see them before we, well,” He waved his hand in a vague gesture towards their location before he crouched in front of Luke, “just don’t be afraid to tell them to back off if it gets to be too much.” Gloved fingers reached out and brushed the hair out of his face before pulling back and Luke sucked in a surprised breath. Asch stood again to continue his loop, acting as if the action was as common as breathing and, after another breath, Luke found himself marvelling at the notion that it _could be._

He swallowed hard and occupied himself with eating more of the crackers. They were dry and bland on his tongue and just a little bit stale and he focused on that so he didn’t have to focus on Asch. His attempt crashed and burned hard when Asch settled back at his side, their arms pressed flush together. He focused on Asch’s amusement instead and tried to react to that.

“Why do you keep-“ He cut himself off, his exaggerated disgruntlement breaking as the words got caught in his throat and Asch sent him a knowing look out of the corner of his eye.

“Touching you?” He finished though he knew it didn’t cover everything Luke was questioning. But it covered enough and Luke nodded with another hard swallow. “You want it, for one,” he raised his hand, palm down, and Luke’s twisted around for him to take before he even finished the thought. He didn’t though and Asch’s fingers fluttered tauntingly above his waiting hand. Luke grunted his understanding.

“What about you, then?” he let his hand relax and craned his head back once more. The bag of crackers dangled loosely from his other hand as he scanned the rest of the tower they had yet to climb. There was a point where the obvious tiers stopped and turned into a pillar that disappeared quickly into the darkness.

“Why don’t you look for yourself,” Asch said and Luke’s head jerked to the side, eyes wide. A brow rose and Luke realized that Asch’s hand was still raised, still waiting. He looked at it but didn’t make a move for it yet. Instead he reached back along their connection because it was something he could do now. Something he was allowed to do and oh-

The bag dropped to the ground.

“You-“ Asch nodded and he fell silent. For all their differences, they were still the same in a lot of ways. Luke laughed a nervous strain to ease the sudden racing of his heart and took Asch’s hand in his. He laced their fingers together and held on tight and he didn’t need to see to know that Asch was smiling, soft and wholly _new_.

“It’ll take some getting used to,” he said quietly, his voice filled with the same sort of wonder that kept Luke’s heart pounding, “but I’m not entirely opposed to it. Just don’t go expecting that I’ll suddenly be touchy-feely around your friends.” And Luke laughed again, light-hearted and just slightly more free because he knew as Asch knew in that moment that they didn’t _need_ the contact. That it was there to reinforce the new thing that they had, whatever that thing was.

Their guiding light drifted over and hovered just above their joined hands where it flared once then disappeared. Luke blinked and the laughter died in his throat as Asch cursed.

“Grab your sword, we’re moving,” he directed as he stood and Luke wasted no time, managing to grab the sword just as Asch pulled him out of reach. Ahead of them, something flared and he barely looked up in time for it to fade again.

“Think we’ll actually fight something now?” he asked, a half smile pulling at his lips as before he stumbled over a rock. Asch barked a laugh and tugged his hand to keep him upright.

“Not like that, I hope,” he said then turned, following another dim flare ahead. Luke huffed and worked to keep his pace in time with Asch’s as he was pulled along. Another turn, another flare, and they were climbing stairs, tripping and barely keeping upright as they went up one – no they were still going – two levels.

“Do you think they’re close?” He asked. He sensed more than saw the nod.

“They’re just above us,” Asch said and once Luke listened passed the noise they were making, he could barely hear the commotion before it grew quiet again. “If we’re lucky, there’ll be another set of stairs and we won’t have to go all the way around.” The light flared and there wasn’t one. Luke bit down a groan and sped up instead.

Then they were running, chasing the light that grew dimmer with every flare. Initially, he didn’t hear it over the sounds of their shoes echoing loudly on the stone but the unmistakable sound of battle was getting louder and he realized with another dying flare that it was getting brighter too.

“Asch,” he gasped, slightly out of breath and Asch grunted in response and pulled his sword free.

“Second fonon,” he said, finally letting go as he pulled ahead, “sense it. Use it.”

“What?”

‘Attack, I’ll guide you through it. We have to fight but you have no armor and _Stalagmite_ should be basic enough for you.’

‘Fine,’ he agreed with a put upon sigh and slowed, allowing the distance between them to grow. The light flared again, barely distinguishable among the lightening gloom and he took a deep breath.

‘The second fonon’s there,’ and as if it had been handed to him, he could feel the currents in the air and the ground. ‘Pull it, guide it. It knows what it wants to do, you just need to prompt it.’

They rounded the corner and he could see them ahead, entirely focused on the fight in the light of their torches and he noted Asch’s silhouette as he scaled the walls. A singular attack from above and below, right. He breathed and traced the fonons, pulling and guiding, _around and below._ There was only one enemy left, a pale thing and practically hairless but fierce with its teeth and talons and he attacked.

His breath left in a rush and the words barely made a sound but the arte was cast as his arm thrust upwards and Asch dropped from above like lightning in a storm. No, he was the lightning, piercing the monster with a brilliant flash of violet light as jagged rocks rose and all but crushed the thing between them.

It screeched and spit as it flailed but Asch’s blade was already moving as was he and with a sharp flick of Asch’s wrist, the creature was tossed in the air in a spray of blood.  Luke was there to catch it, his own blade aimed true and its wail was cut off as its head split from its body. He panted, sparing a single glance for the carcass where it fell before he straightened and took a deep breath.

But something was wrong, he could sense it before he even turned back and when he looked at Asch, he wasn’t even looking back at him – but he knew that of course he did-

“Luke.” He blinked and looked beyond Asch with a sharp breath and into his own face. _Again._

\---

_Loathed child of sound..._

**Author's Note:**

> Slowly editing the first few chapters between updates. Please be patient.


End file.
